President’s official faked credentials
Mina Chang sports a subtle smile on the cover of a Time magazine ‘‘Special Edition,’’ with a swaggering headline that reads, ‘‘We change the world: Modern humanitarian in the digital age.’’
The cover shot was among the photographs Chang brought to a January 2017 interview ostensibly about countering violent extremism. At the time, the current State Department senior official was the chief executive at a small nonprofit, and she appeared on the public affairs show to discuss efforts to curb the influence of groups like Islamic State and Boko Haram.
But five minutes into the interview, the show’s host suggests that they ‘‘take a look at some pictures you brought with you of your work around the world.’’ ‘‘Here you are on Time magazine, congratulations,’’ the host, Mary Sit, said to Chang. ‘‘Tell me about this cover.’’
Chang explained that her organisation used ‘‘drone technology in disaster response’’ and ‘‘I suppose I brought some attention to that.’’ What she did not say, however, is that the cover was fake.
The fabricated Time cover is just one in a string of Chang’s listed accomplishments and resume line items that has come into question after an
NBC News investigation found that the 35-year-old Trump appointee embellished her work history and made misleading claims about her professional background. It has been a persistent problem for President Donald Trump’s administration: an apparent failure to recognise red flags when vetting potential hires and appointees.
Last year, The Washington Post reported the story of a 24-year-old former Trump campaign worker who was quickly promoted to a leading role in the White House’s drug policy office. Taylor Weyeneth was quietly fired after The Post story cast doubt on his qualifications
In August, Trump withdrew his nominee for director of national intelligence, Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, saying the embattled pick had been treated ‘‘very unfairly’’ by the media. Ratcliffe had bragged that as a federal prosecutor he ‘‘arrested over 300 illegal immigrants on a single day.’’ But, The Post reported then, that wasn’t true.
After he announced the change of plans, Trump defended the White House’s failure to scrutinise Ratcliffe’s background.
‘‘I give out a name to the press and they vet for me,’’ Trump said. ‘‘We save a lot of money that way.’’
The latest round of media vetting, then, turned up several more problematic claims, this time from Chang, who began working at the State Department in April. At one point, she was up for a more senior post at the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Asia, but in September, her nomination was withdrawn without explanation.
In her State Department biography, Chang claims that she is ‘‘an alumna of the Harvard Business School’’. Chang did complete a programme at Harvard, but one very different from the prestigious institution’s master of business administration degree. Chang attended an eight-week course known as the ‘‘Advanced Management Programme,’’ Brian Kenny, Harvard Business School’s chief marketing and communications officer said.
In June 2017, half a year after Chang debuted her cover story, The Post found that Trump had his own fake copies of Time magazine – on display in at least five of his golf clubs. –