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In an exclusive scoop, the Daily Mail reveals that one of Donald Trump’s most trusted female diplomats has recently ended her marriage and embarked on a passionate relationship with a prominent Lebanese banking magnate.
Morgan Ortagus, who holds the position of Counselor at the US Mission to the UN and previously served as a deputy to Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff, has officially separated from Jonathan Weinberger as of November, according to their divorce filings.
Insiders report that the 43-year-old foreign policy expert has swiftly entered a new relationship with 53-year-old Antoun Sehnaoui, a financier and film producer who leads banking institutions in Lebanon, Cyprus, Jordan, and Monaco.
“The relationship began after Morgan’s separation. She has transparently disclosed it through the appropriate channels, adhering to all government regulations,” a source close to Ortagus informed the Daily Mail.
Ortagus, known for her early success in beauty pageants and her role as an active US Navy Reserve Officer, was the State Department spokesperson during Trump’s first term. In that role, she was vocal in criticizing Iran, China, and critics of Trump’s America First policy.
Second time around, she was tasked with helping Witkoff broker a peace deal between Hamas and Israel before switching to UN duties over the summer.
The former Fox News analyst wed Weinberger, 49, in a May 2013 ceremony officiated by the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her Washington chambers.
Ortagus still describes him as her ‘husband and best friend’ on the Meet Morgan page of her personal website.
Morgan Ortagus, 43, one of President Trump’s most trusted diplomats, serves as Counselor at the US Mission to the UN and was formerly deputy to Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff
Ortagus separated from her husband Jonathan Weinberger in November, according to filings in their ongoing divorce, but has quickly moved on to a steamy romance with a Lebanese financier
Sources close to Sehnaoui, 53, say he is a Lebanese Christian and avowed Zionist, and in 2017 he was photographed with Cardinal Timothy Dolan while donating a shrine to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in ManhattanÂ
But their split was confirmed when Weinberger filed for divorce in Nashville, Tennessee, where the couple previously shared a $2.25million home with their young daughter Adina and pet dog Ozzy.
His November 4 petition lists the date of their separation as ‘date of filing’ and blames it on ‘irreconcilable differences.’
A source close to Ortagus said this was when Weinberger ‘decided to divorce’ rather than a definitive date for the breakup of the 12-year marriage, which was ‘well prior’ to the filing.
The first hint of her blossoming relationship with Sehnaoui surfaced on social media where a photo of a mysterious jewelry receipt bearing both their names began circulating.
Dated December 13 last year, the sales slip itemized two diamond and platinum pendants together worth thousands of dollars purchased from Tiffany & Co.’s flagship Manhattan store.
Ortagus was listed as the account holder while Sehnaoui’s Mastercard covered the bill.
Sources close to the mom-of-one confirmed they visited the store together but warned the receipt being shared online could be doctored or fake.
‘This shows just how desperate and pervasive the disinformation campaign is,’ scoffed the Daily Mail’s exclusive source.
‘The Tiffany purchases were holiday gifts purchased by Antoun for the mothers of his two children.
Ortagus’s estranged husband’s November 4 petition lists their separation as the ‘date of filing’ and cites ‘irreconcilable differences,’ but a source says the 12-year marriage had ended well before the paperwork
A former teen beauty queen and Navy Reserve officer, Ortagus served as Trump’s State Department spokesperson, targeting Iran, China and critics of his America First agenda
‘Morgan went with Antoun to purchase the gifts, helped him pick them out and, because she has an account with Tiffany, the store put her name on the receipt.’
Sehnaoui is a direct descendant of Emir Shihab II, who ruled Lebanon during the first half of the 19th century.
He grew up in Beirut before moving to the US to study business and banking at the University of Southern California.
A film producer and publishing magnate, he’s best known as the slick face of Societe Generale de Banque au Liban (SGBL), a powerful Lebanese bank with an estimated $26billion in assets.
Sehnaoui became chairman and main shareholder in 2007, expanding the bank’s footprint into Abu Dhabi, Cyprus, France and Colorado, where SGBL owns the Pikes Peak National Bank.
But SGBL has also faced legal challenges in the US, where it was accused of ‘aiding and abetting’ the radical militant group Hezbollah in a 2019 federal lawsuit, allegations it subsequently denied.
Hundreds of plaintiffs claimed that a dozen Lebanese banks provided ‘material support… in the form of financial and banking services’ to terrorists responsible for deaths and injuries in Iraq between 2004 and 2011.
The accusation is at odds with profiles and statements from people close to Sehnaoui, however, who describe him as a Lebanese Christian and avowed Zionist.
Sehnaoui, a direct descendant of Lebanese 19th ruler Emir Shihab II, has ties to Washington and was seen directly behind former Senator Paul Ryan (at the podium) as he spoke at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in 2017
However, whistleblowers have alleged that Sehnaoui’s bank, Societe Generale de Banque au Liban, ‘aided and abetted’ the militant group Hezbollah in a 2019 federal lawsuit, a claim it denied
The mogul donated a shrine to St Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan in 2017 and last year sponsored a joint US-Israeli opera initiative at the Kennedy Center.
His spokesman remarked to a news outlet covering the launch that Sehnaoui had not returned to Lebanon in eight to 10 years, partly because of fears for his safety.
Estimates of his wealth are elusive but he’s believed to own homes in London, Paris and the US and several restaurants in Beirut.
His Paris-based production company Rouge International has made several successful films, including The Insult, which was nominated for best foreign language film at the 2017 Academy Awards.
Daily Mail attempted to reach Sehnaoui for comment.
The White House referred questions about Ortagus’s relationship to the State Department which did not respond.
Ortagus grew up in Auburndale, Florida, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida Southern College.
She considered studying music but switched her major to political science after the September 11 terrorist attacks and converted to Judaism, according to Jewish Insider.
She later earned a dual Master of Arts in Government and Master of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University.
Ortagus that alleged new lover is Lebanese banking mogul Antoun Sehnaoui
In January last year, Trump named Ortagus deputy special presidential envoy for Middle East peace
Before joining the Trump administration, Ortagus worked for USAID in Iraq and served as deputy Treasury attaché at the US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In January last year, Trump announced her appointment as deputy special presidential envoy for Middle East peace, joking with reporters ‘Early on Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson.’
Weinberger, a finance executive, banker and senior lawyer for GM Motors, did not return calls. His attorney confirmed that he filed for divorce but declined to comment further.
SGBL has been contacted for comment.