Some U.S. Diplomats Stage Quiet Revolt Amid Tensions With Trump

Source: nytimes




Mark Landler
6-7 minutes

The State Department has been a hotbed of resistance to the Trump administration’s policies from the start. About 1,000 staff members signed a cable protesting the temporary ban on visas for visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries the administration tried to impose in January. There has been a small exodus of senior diplomats, which, combined with the slow pace of appointments, has left the State Department’s headquarters noticeably depleted.

But the tensions between the White House and the diplomatic corps are now flaring up more publicly, and at a more senior level. Mr. Lukens, Mr. Rank, and Ms. Smith have all spent decades in the Foreign Service, rising to posts at or close to the ambassadorial level.

“It’s an extraordinarily unusual situation for the Foreign Service,” said R. Nicholas Burns, who served as undersecretary of state for political affairs in the George W. Bush administration, traditionally the top-ranking position for career diplomats. “They pride themselves on being nonpartisan. You serve each president 150 percent.”

Mr. Burns said the conflicts were more difficult for diplomats at the senior level because their jobs require them to represent or issue statements on behalf of the United States government, sometimes with little guidance from the State Department........................

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