Secretary of State John Kerry appointed a transparency “czar” Tuesday in a move to head off controversy stirred by the department’s efforts to release thousands of pages of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails. But the appointment sparked further criticism from Republicans, as the new czar recently made a large donation to the Clinton presidential campaign.

Mr. Kerry tapped Janice Jacobs, a former assistant secretary for consular affairs and career diplomat, to lead the State Department’s efforts to improve document preservation and wait times for document releases requested by Congress and the public. She previously helped to reform the U.S. visa application process after 2001 terror attacks.

The appointment of a transparency czar comes in response to heightened scrutiny of the department following the revelation that Mrs. Clinton used a private email server and a flood of public records requests since 2008. The State Department is in the process of screening and releasing 55,000 pages of her emails.

Ms. Jacobs donated the maximum $2,700 to Mrs. Clinton’s campaign on June 22, according to Federal Election Commission records. Raj Shah, research director at the Republican National Committee, said Tuesday that the choice of a Clinton donor to oversee issues related to the former secretary of state’s email was further evidence of the “blurred” lines between the campaign and the State Department.

In an interview, Ms. Jacobs said she made that donation as a private citizen and months before she had entered into conversations with the State Department about her new role. She retired from the State Department in June 2014; moreover, federal employees aren’t barred from donating to campaigns.

“I think that the announcement lays it out pretty clearly what Secretary Kerry has hired me for and it’s not just the Clinton emails, but in general to make sure that the department is as responsive and efficient as it can be in handling the various document requests that come in,” she said. “He just wants to make sure it’s all well-coordinated and that deadlines are met and that we just look proactive and responsive.”

pacino wrote:Democrat donates to Democrat. Scandal.

pacino wrote:Democrat donates to Democrat. Scandal.

pacino wrote:Jh wouldn't have been upset with that. That's the point.

You guys act like I'm not #1 for money out of politics. You are the guys that like donations to campaigns. You can't like them and then say that those who donate ar disallowed from any roles in government.

pacino wrote:So you want publicly financed campaigns? What a libertarian you are