Morgan Ortagus

“The Iranian regime should know that we will hold them accountable for any actions that their Shia militias take in Iraq.”

“We will continue to work around the world to beat ISIS about where they may exist, these are horrible ideologies or murderous ideologies.”

“Venezuelans need free and fair presidential elections leading to democracy and economic recovery, not Maduro's expensive deals with another pariah state.”

“Quite frankly, I don't want someone with the temperament of a middle school pubescent boy in the president's office.”

“We can pursue peaceful diplomacy with the Iranian regime while also continuing our maximum economic pressure campaign, while also defending ourselves... To say that it's a war with Iran or nothing is just a fundamental misunderstanding of how foreign policy actually works.”

“I think that America is the glue that holds the world together.”

“Whether it is Iraq, whether it is Yemen, whether it is Lebanon, whether it is Syria, I mean North Africa, you could go through the list of countries where Iran as the largest state sponsor of terrorism uses these proxies... to foment chaos in the Middle East.”

“The United States will not tolerate the P.R.C.'s (People's Republic of China) violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated the P.R.C.'s unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs and other egregious behavior.”

“Saudi Arabia is the bulwark of our relationship, especially when it comes to Iran, and without the partnership of Saudi Arabia and our other Gulf allies, we would not be able to have the maximum economic pressure campaign that we have.”

“American diplomats meet with formal government officials, we meet with opposition protesters, not just in Hong Kong or China. This literally happens in every single country in which an American embassy is present.”

“I don't think that leaking an American diplomat's private information, pictures, names of their children, I don't think that is a formal protest, that is what a thuggish regime would do.”

“I'm happy to be serving my country.”

“Most Republicans have lined up behind the Trump foreign policy agenda, while Democrats lack a cohesive, unifying message or guiding philosophy on where they would lead the country internationally if in power.”

“America is a force for good in the Middle East.”

“A decade ago, I lived in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh, as the treasury attache to our embassy there, and I was, of course, on the ground in the Middle East whenever the Arab Spring started, and it's fast-forward a decade later, nine years later. It's hard to believe that I am still working on this issue. You know, here in the State Department.”

“The United States, whenever it comes to any region in the world where there are tensions, asks for people to observe the rule of law, respect for human rights, respect for international norms. We ask people to maintain peace and security and direct dialogue.”

“We will always stand up for rule of law, the right to protest, the right of assembly.”

“I mean what had always been attractive to me about the State Department spokesperson role is that it's traditionally been a very substantive position.”

“The stealing of American research, of course, ultimately takes American jobs.”

“The United States is deeply concerned about the vulnerability of the North Korean people to a coronavirus outbreak.”