Senator Hatch Announces J.P. Freire as New Communications Director
And Mathew Jensen as Legislative Assistant
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch announced Friday that J.P. Freire will be joining his staff as Communications Director overseeing communications for the state of Utah and the personal office.
Freire joins Hatch’s staff after two years of serving as Communications Director and Speechwriter for U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo of the 4th District of Kansas. He previously worked as a Senior Communications Strategist in crisis communications, campaigns, and corporate defense for New Media Strategies following nearly eight years as an award-winning conservative journalist, including turns as Associate Editorial Page Editor at the Washington Examiner, Managing Editor at the American Spectator, and Researcher/Writer at the New York Times. In 2009 he was honored as CPAC’s Journalist of the Year. Freire holds a B.A. in English from Cornell University, where he also served as senior editor of the Cornell Review.
“J.P.’s experience as a policy-focused journalist, strategic communicator, and effective manager will be a major asset to our team as we coordinate our agenda for the Senate,” Hatch said. “J.P. is an honest broker who knows how to discuss complicated issues with reporters, and I’m thrilled to have him as part of my team.”
Matthew Jensen was also promoted from Military Legislative Research Assistant to Legislative Assistant where he will be handling Transportation, Space, and Veterans Affairs. He will continue to play a supportive role in Defense-related issues. Jensen has been with Senator Hatch’s office since 2011 and has worked on a broad range of policy areas. Jensen is a graduate of Utah State University.
For media inquiries, please contact J.P. Freire at JP_Freire@hatch.senate.gov and Heather Barney at Heather_Barney@hatch.senate.gov.