Too little, too late: Public fury as former US official shifts stance on "Israel’s" actions in Gaza

Former US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has come under fire after admitting that he believes that the Israeli Occupation has "without a doubt" committed war crimes in Gaza — a sharp departure from his previous public stance while serving in government during the Biden administration.

Appearing on the Trump 100 podcast by Sky News on Monday, Miller, now speaking as a private citizen, stated, “I don’t believe it’s genocide, but I think it is without a doubt true that Israel has committed war crimes.” His comments have fueled fierce reactions across social media, with many accusing him of attempting to distance himself from the very policies he once defended.

Miller, who held the spokesperson role from 2023 until the end of President Joe Biden’s term, repeatedly echoed the administration’s line of support for "Israel" during its military campaign in Gaza. Now out of office, he claims he is finally free to share his personal perspective.

“You are a spokesperson for the president, the administration, and you espouse the positions of the administration. And when you're not in the administration, you can just give your own opinions,” he explained during the podcast.

Although Miller stopped short of labeling "Israel's" military operation as genocide, he emphasized that “individual incidents” by "Israeli" soldiers constitute war crimes and criticized "Israel" for failing to hold those individuals accountable. He acknowledged there were “disagreements all along the way” within the US government about how to respond to "Israel's" war in Gaza.

His remarks have been met with widespread skepticism and outrage, especially from Palestinians, activists, and critics who followed his time in office. Many point to his past behavior during press briefings — where he frequently brushed off questions about civilian deaths and deflected accusations of war crimes — as evidence of complicity.

One such moment, which went viral, featured journalist Sam Husseini confronting Miller for “smirking” while discussing the rising death toll in Gaza. That incident has resurfaced as critics accuse him of attempting to rehabilitate his image now that public sentiment has shifted.

Here are some online reactions:

Matthew Miller without a doubt belongs in jail for the rest of his life. https://t.co/Ab1sWyzrgp

— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) June 2, 2025

"The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him." - Nuremberg Principle IV.
Miller is a war criminal! https://t.co/hJPtVvLsmM

— Sunny Singh (@ProfSunnySingh) June 2, 2025

you directly helped cover for those war crimes so we could keep sending more munitions to do new crimes with! https://t.co/xYfbkvT0pA

— hasanabi (@hasanthehun) June 2, 2025

We will also never forgive and forget you, and you will always be remembered as the smirker of the Gaza Genocide.

You also must be held accountable. pic.twitter.com/I6wxOzi1Fz

— Abubaker Abed (@AbubakerAbedW) June 2, 2025

He did not confess out of the good of his heart but because where he went he was looked at like the face of a genocide. Now that the shiny office is gone. He wants to gain back his respect amongst normal people. Shame

— Saeed Khan (@saeedk247365) June 3, 2025

If Israel’s guilty of war crimes—and they are—then so is the U.S. You don’t bankroll, arm, and shield atrocities on the world stage and walk away with clean hands. It’s not just complicity; it’s co-authorship.

— JT (@escapeeJT) June 2, 2025

Are we talking about the same guy who used to come every day to defend Israel in front of journalists as if his life depended on it?

The only explanation is that he, like all the former unconditional supporters of Israel, is now trying to cover his tracks.

— Hicham from Montréal  (@MontrealHicham) June 2, 2025