President-elect Donald Trump expressed uncertainty about appointing former State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus as deputy special envoy for Middle East peace – while announcing his decision to give her the role. 

Trump said in an unusually tepid statement posted to his Truth Social platform on Friday that he was “pleased to announce” that Ortagus would be serving as deputy to Steve Witkoff, his longtime friend and golfing partner who he appointed as special envoy to the Middle East in November. 

But after the warm opening, Trump called out Ortagus for past criticism of him and suggested that he was only offering her the job at the behest of Republicans. 

“Early on Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson,” Trump said, referencing Ortagus’s tenure as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s spokeswoman. “These things usually don’t work out, but she has strong Republican support, and I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing it for them. Let’s see what happens. She will hopefully be an asset to Steve, a great leader and talent, as we seek to bring calm and prosperity to a very troubled region. I expect great results, and soon!”

Ortagus, who vocally supported Trump’s 2024 bid and campaigned for him, did not immediately respond to Jewish Insider’s request for comment on the new role or the criticisms Trump made of her in his announcement. 

Despite Trump’s digs, news of the appointment was met positively by Republican lawmakers, several of whom posted congratulatory messages praising Ortagus as a patriot and a wise choice for the envoy role. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a close ally of Ortagus who has described her as “one of the strongest voices in the Republican Party on national security,” praised the decision as “an outstanding choice” in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.

“As the former spokeswoman for the State Department under President Trump, Morgan understands the region as well as anyone I’ve ever met. She served in Saudi Arabia as Deputy Treasury Attaché and has extensive ties to the State of Israel. She is well known throughout the region and highly respected in Congress. She will be an invaluable asset to Witkoff as they pursue historic change in a troubled region,” Graham said.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, in his first term, he destroyed the ISIS caliphate, weakened Iran and had four Arab nations recognize Israel. I firmly believe President Trump and his team are going to rewrite the history books when it comes to the Middle East because he is respected by our allies and feared by our enemies,” he added.

“​​President Trump made a great pick in @MorganOrtagus,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) wrote on X. “She’s served our nation honorably, both as an active U.S. Navy Reserve Intel Officer and veteran of the Trump State Department. I’m confident Morgan will help us deliver peace through strength in the Middle East.”

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) wrote on X: “Congratulations to @MorganOrtagus on being appointed for this critical position. There is no one better to do this job. She is a superstar!!”

The X account for House Armed Services Committee Republicans also congratulated Ortagus, calling her appointment “A fantastic choice by President Trump” in a post on the platform.

Ortagus was reportedly also under consideration to serve as Trump’s deputy secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs and as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia before being offered the deputy Middle East envoy position.

Prior to joining the first Trump administration in 2019, Ortagus worked in the Treasury Department under then President Barack Obama as a financial intelligence analyst and as deputy U.S. treasury attaché to Saudi Arabia. Ortagus has been an active Navy Reserve officer since 2014 and has been a Fox News contributor on national security issues.

Ortagus launched POLARIS National Security, a nonprofit focused on supporting political candidates who prioritize defense concerns, after leaving the State Department and launching an unsuccessful run for Congress in 2022. Trump endorsed Ortagus in the Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional district that year, but her candidacy fell apart over ballot access issues.