in 2006 cucciniello moved to baghdad, iraq to work for multi-national force-iraq (mnf-i). shortly after, he was hired by the u.s. department of state to work in the public affairs section at the u.s. embassy, located in the former republican palace (arabic: القصر الجمهوري "al-qaṣr al-ǧumhūriy") of saddam hussein. as such cucciniello was made a non-career u.s. diplomat. cucciniello was a spokesperson for the u.s. embassy in baghdad from 2006 until 2010.