Trump’s Administration to Replace Senior State Department Diplomats

Several high-ranking officials of the US State Department will not work with the new administration after approval Rex Tillerson as a secretary of state.

US State Department Headquarters in Washington, DC (Photo: AP)

Several high-ranking officials of the US State Department have been notified that they will not work with the new administration after approval Rex Tillerson as a secretary of state, the Washington Post newspaper reported on Thursday. The newspaper noted that diplomats “were not technically fired,” they just will not be re-assigned to their posts.

The Washington Post pointed out that traditionally, heads of the 13 divisions of the US State Department stayed on in their posts after the change of the US administration, however, this time, some part of the officials were told that they will not be asked to continue to work and their nominations will not be submitted for approval to the Senate.

The newspaper suggested that the diplomats, left their posts, will be replaced with other officials of the US State Department or with experts, who did not work in the Foreign Service during the time, when Barack Obama held the presidential office.

The Washington Post did not disclose a full list of officials, who have to leave their posts, and only mentioned Under Secretary of State Patrick Kennedy, who has been working in the department since 2007.

Earlier, the Reuters news agency reported that Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Gregory Starr, Deputy Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Michele Bond and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas Countryman are leaving the US State Department. As CNN reported, citing its own sources, Assistant Secretary for Administration and Consular Affairs Joyce Anne Barr and Ambassador Gentry Smith, director of the Office for Foreign Missions, also received letters by the White House that their service was no longer required.

The Associated Press news agency reported on dismissal of Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland.

As acting spokesman for the US State Department noted in a statement: “These positions are political appointments, and require the President to nominate and the Senate to confirm them in these roles. They are not career appointments but of limited term.”

An unnamed official told CNN that the move appeared to be an effort by the new administration to “clean house” among the State Department‘s top leadership. “The department will not collapse,” he noted. “Everyone has good deputies. It’s a huge institutional loss, but the department has excellent subordinates and the career people will step up. They will take up the responsibility.”

The following charts shows the unfilled appointee positions, in blue, while the red crosses show the resignations.

Here’s an updated State Department Org Chart.

Blue X’s are unfilled appointee positions. Red X’s are resignations. pic.twitter.com/gF5p0YGFKC

— Emily Roslin v Praze (@EmilyGorcenski) January 26, 2017