Ukrainian ambassador to U.S. and Facebook whistleblower among those sitting with Jill Biden during SOTU
![First Lady Jill Biden.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/P6s7Zar8DoUnKE9e7GzTk8-415-80.jpg)
The White House has revealed the small group of individuals invited to sit in first lady Jill Biden's viewing box during Tuesday night's State of the Union. According to a newly-released statement, each invitee was chosen because "they represent policies or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech."
Most notable among the selected guests is the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova, as well as Frances Haugen, the former Facebook employee who leaked a slew of damning internal company documents to both the media and Congress.
The first lady will also be accompanied by second gentleman Doug Emhoff, President Biden's sister Valerie Biden Owens, and seven other guests, not counting Markarova or Haugen.
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The president's State of the Union will be available to stream at whitehouse.gov/sotu beginning at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 1.
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Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
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