Top diplomat for European affairs resigns from State Department

Source: WaPo

A. Wess Mitchell, the top diplomat in charge of European affairs, will resign from the State Department next month, creating a key vacancy at a time when European leaders are questioning President Trump’s commitment to historic alliances.

Mitchell, 41, cited personal and professional reasons in a Jan. 4 letter of resignation he submitted to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. His last day as assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs is Feb. 15.

“As the administration completes its second year in office, I feel that I have completed what I set out to do in taking this position,” he wrote, citing the development of a Europe strategy and helping Pompeo transition into the job after Rex Tillerson was fired in March.

“As such, I believe that the time has come for me to spend more time with my young family, who have endured many days without me over the past several months.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/top-diplomat-for-european-affairs-resigns-from-state-department/2019/01/22/ada80048-1e3f-11e9-8b59-0a28f2191131_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1945b8b4cbf0