U.S. State Department Issues ‘Worldwide Caution’ Alert Due To Soaring Tensions In The Middle East And Elsewhere

 

CNBC: U.S. State Department issues ‘worldwide caution’ alert as tensions in the Middle East soar 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department issued a worldwide caution alert on Thursday due to soaring tensions in the Middle East and elsewhere triggered by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 

Citing the “potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests,” the State Department warned Americans abroad to exercise increased caution. 

The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: This tells me the US government is expecting the situation in the Middle East to get worse in the coming days/weeks.

U.S. State Department Issues ‘Worldwide Caution’ Alert Due To Soaring Tensions In The Middle East And Elsewhere

State Department Issues Worldwide Caution for US Citizens -- Reuters  

US citizens urged to exercise ‘increased caution’ overseas amid ‘increased tensions’ -- The Hill  

State Department urges 'worldwide caution' for Americans overseas as Israel-Hamas war rages -- FOX News  

State Department advises all Americans overseas ‘to exercise increased caution’ in worldwide alert -- CNN

US Secretary of State Blinken: US Couldn’t Be Supporting Ukraine Right Now If They Were Still In Afghanistan

BREAKING: Tony Blinken just said the US couldn’t be supporting Ukraine right now if they were still in Afghanistan and has no ability to support 2 allies at once

Sorry Taiwan pic.twitter.com/8fDi2laIbk

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) December 27, 2022

WNU Editor: US Secretary of State Blinken should not have said that. China is watching and listening.

How Not To Raise The American Flag At A U.S. Embassy

1. Should have never left.
2. Where are our Marines? They would know how to do this properly.
3. Image matters. Only one person here is dressed appropriately.
4. Again, I call for wholesale civil service reform at State. https://t.co/guaBG10W5d

— cdrsalamander (@cdrsalamander) May 19, 2022

WNU Editor: Optics is everything. Especially during a war.

Covid Decimates The U.S. State Department

Huffington Post: 'Chernobyl' At State Department As COVID Decimates Agency 

Amid international crises, the key national security agency is experiencing a stunning surge in coronavirus cases, three U.S. officials told HuffPost this week. 

As the galloping omicron variant forces businesses and schools to struggle with staffing, one of the nation’s top national security agencies is also feeling the strain. 

The State Department is experiencing a stunning surge in COVID-19 cases, three U.S. officials told HuffPost this week. One said the situation is internally being called “Chernobyl,” a nod to the worst nuclear disaster in history.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I suspect that all government departments around the world are being decimated by the new wave. I know that it is happening in Canada. I needed to contact someone in the Canadian Revenue Agency on a tax issue this morning, and for the first time ever I was put on hold that lasted for two hours.When I finally got an agent, she explained to me that most of the staff are on sick leave.

U.S. State Dept. Warns Americans Traveling Abroad To 'Make Contingency Plans'

This comes as the US is witnessing a significant rise in COVID-19 cases.  

The Hill: State Dept warns Americans traveling abroad to 'make contingency plans'  

The State Department warned on Thursday that Americans who are traveling abroad “should make contingency plans” as countries around the globe grapple with rising numbers of COVID-19 cases spurred by the omicron variant. 

"U.S. citizens who do choose to travel internationally should make contingency plans, as they may have to remain in a foreign country longer than originally planned, which will be at their own expense," the department said in a media note. 

"The Department recommends international travel insurance with coverage for COVID-related trip cancellation and medical benefits," it added.  

Read more ....  

Update: US's "Make Contingency Plans" Warning For Americans Travelling Abroad (NDTV).  

WNU Editor: The US State Department is adding more countries to its highest-risk category for travel. .... CDC moves 3 more European destinations to its highest travel risk category (CNN).

Is The U.S. State Department Obstructing Private Rescue Flights From Afghanistan?

Secretary of State Antony Blinken toured a processing center for Afghan refugees at the al-Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday

FOX News: State Department obstruction of private rescue flights from Afghanistan revealed in leaked email 

State Department 'will not provide an approval' of charter flights from Afghanistan, leaked email reveals 

EXCLUSIVE: The State Department refused to grant official approval for private evacuation flights from Afghanistan to land in third countries, even though the department conceded that official authorization would likely be needed for planes to land in those nations, an email reviewed by Fox News shows. 

Furthermore, the State Department explicitly stated that charter flights, even those containing American citizens, would not be allowed to land at Defense Department (DOD) airbases. 

U.S. officials have pointed to possible security threats from landing charter planes at military bases, saying that they lack the resources on the ground to fully verify flight manifests. 

The Biden administration's delaying of private evacuation efforts has been a widespread source of frustration, infuriating rescue organizers and even a prominent Democratic senator.  

Read more .... 

Update: Blinken Says Taliban Blocking Americans From Leaving Afghanistan, But Leaked Emails Suggest Otherwise (Zero Hedge) 

WNU Editor: As I had mentioned in a previous post. When it comes to Afghanistan the past few months have taught us that it is best not to trust any message or message that is coming out from the US government. 

Update #2: U.S. Secretary of State Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin are in Doha right now .... Blinken tours huge Doha processing center housing thousands of Afghan refugees and says evacuees won't be vetted until they reach the US: Influx sparks fears of more chaos in Biden's broken immigration system (Daily Mail).

Did The U.S. State Department Try To Steal Credit For The Rescue Of 4 Americans From Afghanistan?

 

Daily Mail: GOP Rep. claims State Department tried to SABOTAGE Texas family's Afghanistan escape: Mother and three kids were forced to bribe Taliban at TWENTY checkpoints until they reached border 

* American mom Mariam and her three young children were among those left behind in Afghanistan after Biden ordered US military out of the country 

* Veteran Cory Mills coordinated a mission to get the family out of Afghanistan 

* Mariam and her kids had to travel on a route overland to the border of a neighboring country, which they reached safely on Monday 

* The State Department now appears to be taking credit for the operation, claiming they helped 'facilitate' it 

* GOP Rep. Markwayne Mullin, who helped organize the rescue, accused the State Department of dramatically overstating its role in the mission 

* Mullin accused the State Department of actively trying to quash their efforts 

* Meanwhile, more than 1,000 other Americans and Afghan allies were waiting to leave Afghanistan on Sunday as negotiations with the Taliban broke down 

Republican Rep. Markwayne Mullin claimed on Tuesday morning that the Biden State Department tried to stop his successful mission to rescue a US mother and her three young children from Afghanistan by land. 

Mullin and fellow GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson helped organize the evacuation of Texas resident Mariam, who was left behind when the US military finished its withdrawal. 

They were aided by Army veteran Cory Mills, who was in the Middle East with Mariam and her children for the daring rescue. 

That country has not been named so as not to jeopardize future rescue attempts.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I learned a long time ago to always be skeptical on what The US State Department is claiming. In the case of Afghanistan .... doubly so. 

More News On The U.S. State Department Trying To Steal Credit For The Rescue Of 4 Americans From Afghanistan  

State Dept trying to steal credit for rescue of 4 Americans from Afghanistan, organizer says: 'Total lie' -- FOX News  

Veterans Team That Rescued American Woman, 3 Children Says State Department Trying To Steal Credit -- IBTimes 

‘That’s a lie’: Oklahoma rep. slams State Dept. claim it ‘facilitated’ freeing 4 Americans -- NYPost  

State Department trying to steal credit for saving four Americans from Afghanistan, rescue team claims -- Washington Examiner

U.S. State Department Hit By Cyber Attack

The U.S. State Department was recently hit by a cyber attack, and notifications of a possible serious breach were made by the Department of Defense Cyber Command  

Daily Mail: State Department is hit by a cyber attack amid US efforts to evacuate thousands of Americans and Afghan allies from Kabul 

* Notifications of a possible serious breach were made by the Department of Defense Cyber Command 

* It is unclear when the breach was discovered, but it is believed to have happened a couple of weeks ago 

* The State Department's ongoing mission to evacuate Americans and allied refugees in Afghanistan have reportedly 'not been affected' 

* The extent of the breach, investigation into the suspected entity behind it, efforts taken to mitigate it, and any ongoing risk to operations remained unclear 

* The revelation of the hack came just weeks after a damning report from the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

* The committee ranked the State Department with a 'D', the lowest possible rating, for information security 

The U.S. State Department was recently hit by a cyber attack, and notifications of a possible serious breach were made by the Department of Defense Cyber Command, it has been reported. 

It is unclear when the breach was discovered, but it is believed to have happened a couple of weeks ago, according to the Fox News reporter's Twitter thread. 

The State Department's ongoing mission to evacuate Americans and allied refugees in Afghanistan 'have not been affected,' the reporter added. 

Read more .... 

More News On The U.S. State Department Being Hit By Cyber Attack  

State Department hit by cyber attack, source says -- FOX News  

U.S. State Department recently hit by a cyber attack -Fox News -- Reuters  

State Department hit by cyber attack amid Afghan evacuation: report -- 

NYPost U.S. State Department reportedly hit by a cyberattack in recent weeks -- CNBC

U.S. State Department Will Abandon Its CH-46 Helicopters In Afghanistan After US Forces Leave

 

Warzone/The Drive: The State Department Has Abandoned Its CH-46 Helicopters In Afghanistan 

Evacuations in Kabul will likely be the last major mission for U.S. CH-46 "Phrogs," which served in this same role in Saigon nearly 50 years ago. 

The U.S. State Department has confirmed that seven CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters, also colloquially known as "Phrogs," belonging to its Air Wing have been rendered inoperable and abandoned in Afghanistan as part of the ongoing evacuation effort. 

This non-combatant evacuation operation, or NEO, could very well be the last major mission ever for any Sea Knight belonging to the U.S. government, with the State Department already in the process of divesting its entire fleet. 

In addition, the Pentagon says that this NEO could be the second largest in American military history, the other being the evacuation of Americans and others from South Vietnam in 1975. 

As The War Zone has already reported, there is evidence that at least one of the State Department's now-abandoned Sea Knights in Afghanistan, which it originally obtained second-hand from the U.S. Marine Corps, took part in both operations.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: More evidence that there was no plan on leaving Afghanistan, nor any consideration on the consequences from the White House on what would happen when the decision to leave was made. 

Update: I predict that these aircraft will also be abandoned .... Dozens Of U.S.-Bought Afghan Air Force Aircraft Are Now Orphaned At An Uzbek Airfield (Warzone/The Drive).

U.S. State Department And Pentagon News Conference On Afghanistan

After The State Department Told Fleeing Americans That They Will Not Need To Pay Their Way Out Of Afghanistan, The Paperwork Says That They Must Pay

Daily Caller: Biden Administration Continues To Tell Fleeing Americans To Pay Their Way Out Of Afghanistan, Hours After Telling The Press Otherwise 

* The Biden administration continued to inform American citizens in Afghanistan as of Thursday evening that they could be charged more than $2,000 to board an evacuation flight out of the country. 

* The State Department told the press Thursday afternoon that it had no intention of levying any such charges. 

* “All passengers will need to reimburse the U.S. Government for the flight. 

A promissory note for the full cost of the flight, which may exceed $2000 per person, must be signed by each adult passenger before boarding,” stated the repatriation flight request form on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. 

The Biden administration continued to inform American citizens in Afghanistan as of Thursday evening they could have to pay more than $2,000 to board an evacuation flight out of the country, despite the State Department telling the press hours before that it had no intention of levying any such charges. 

The U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan has stated in multiple security advisories since Monday that any U.S. citizen seeking to evacuate the country must complete an online form in order to secure their repatriation flight. 

“This form is the only way to communicate interest in flight options,” the embassy said in a security advisory Wednesday.  

Read more ....  

Previous Post: U.S. State Department Charging U.S. Citizens $2,000 For Their Flight Out Of Kabul (August 19, 2021).  

WNU Editor: The U.S. State Department and other departments handling the Afghan file are in chaos mode right now.

US Embassies Around The World Are Flying 'Black Lives Matter' Flags

Zero Hedge: US Embassies Worldwide Are Flying BLM Flags This Week 

US embassies and consulates across the globe this week flew Black Lives Matter (BLM) flags after being authorized and encouraged to do so for the first time ever in a memo by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. It's now expected to be a regular practice, particularly in instances of race-related events or memorials. 

Just ahead of the May 25 one-year anniversary of George Floyd's death, a State Department memo was sent to all diplomatic staff worldwide saying that it "supports the use of the term 'Black Lives Matter' in messaging content". It further encouraged speeches and commemorative events related to diplomatic engagements on the anniversary "and beyond". Subsequently on Tuesday BLM flags were photographed flying at various US diplomatic compounds across the globe, stretching from east Asia to Greece to Spain and Latin America.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Displaying a private NGO’s flag like the BLM logo on US embassies is unprecedented. But to support an organization that openly calls for the de-funding of police?!?!?!?

Is This How The U.S. State Department Operates?

Zero Hedge: "Resist Everything": Socialist Within State Department Exposed In Veritas "Deep State" Sting

James O'Keefe and his undercover investigators have once again exposed extreme left-wing activists pursuing a progressive agenda within a position of power - this time infiltrating the State Department.

O'Keefe's team has previously released undercover videos revealing radical leftists at Twitter bragging about "shadow banning" conservatives, Democrat operatives paid by the Clinton campaign engaging in voter fraud, CNN employees admitting that the Trump-Russia story was a "fake news" ratings bonanza, and the "culture of anti-Trump bias" at the New York Times.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: A lot of criticisms have been leveled at Project Veritas over the past few years, but if this report is an indication on how the US State Department operates .... or at least a part of it .... it is incredibly damning. On the one hand I would like to think that US State Department employee Stuart Karaffa is exception, and that everyone else in the State Department works responsibly. But on the other hand .... my gut is telling me that this is a normal situation. Project Veritas' report is here .... Deep State Unmasked: State Department on Hidden Cam, “Resist Everything,” “I Have Nothing to Lose” (Project Veritas).

A Number of State Department Employees Are Accusing The Trump Administration Of Punishing Them By Being Assigned To Low-Level Jobs

View of the Department of State in Washington, DC. (Kevin Lamarque/courtesy Reuters)

Elise Labott, CNN: Exclusive: Frustrated State Department employees hire attorneys, charging 'political retribution'

Washington (CNN)A growing number of State Department employees are charging they are being put in career purgatory because of their previous work on policy priorities associated with President Barack Obama and in offices the Trump administration is interested in closing.

The situation has got so serious that several officials tell CNN they have retained attorneys after repeatedly trying unsuccessfully to raise concerns about being assigned to low-level jobs in Foggy Bottom such as answering Freedom of Information Act requests.

The issue has also come to the attention of senior Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I have lost count on the number of times I have heard in my life that "we are too good for this kind of work" routine. My solution .... get a job in the private sector where your "brilliance" will be appreciated.

The Purge At The U.S. Department Conitnues

Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson at the White House on Monday. Mr. Tillerson has made no secret of his belief that the State Department is a bloated bureaucracy. Credit Tom Brenner/The New York Times

New York Times: Diplomats Sound the Alarm as They Are Pushed Out in Droves

WASHINGTON — Of all the State Department employees who might have been vulnerable in the staff reductions that Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson has initiated as he reshapes the department, the one person who seemed least likely to be a target was the chief of security, Bill A. Miller.

Republicans pilloried Hillary Clinton for what they claimed was her inadequate attention to security as secretary of state in the months before the deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. Congress even passed legislation mandating that the department’s top security official have unrestricted access to the secretary of state.

But in his first nine months in office, Mr. Tillerson turned down repeated and sometimes urgent requests from the department’s security staff to brief him, according to several former top officials in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Finally, Mr. Miller, the acting assistant secretary for diplomatic security, was forced to cite the law’s requirement that he be allowed to speak to Mr. Tillerson.

Mr. Miller got just five minutes with the secretary of state, the former officials said. Afterward, Mr. Miller, a career Foreign Service officer, was pushed out, joining a parade of dismissals and early retirements that has decimated the State Department’s senior ranks. Mr. Miller declined to comment.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The U.S. State Department has a history that I am not impressed with .... so I do not feel sorry that those who have been at the forefront of U.S. diplomacy for years (if not decades) are now being shown the door with buy-out packages and comfortable pensions. This is a time for fresh blood with a different viewpoint on what should be the U.S. role in the world, and for those who just want to maintain the status quo .... well .... their time has passed.

U.S. State Department Officials Have Accused Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Of Violating U.S. Law When It Comes To Child Soldiers

Reuters

Reuters: U.S. diplomats accuse Tillerson of breaking child soldiers law

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of about a dozen U.S. State Department officials have taken the unusual step of formally accusing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson of violating a federal law designed to stop foreign militaries from enlisting child soldiers, according to internal documents reviewed by Reuters.

A confidential State Department “dissent” memo, which Reuters was first to report on, said Tillerson breached the Child Soldiers Prevention Act when he decided in June to exclude Iraq, Myanmar, and Afghanistan from a U.S. list of offenders in the use of child soldiers. This was despite the department publicly acknowledging that children were being conscripted in those countries.

Read more ....

Update #1: State Dept. officials accuse Tillerson of violating law: report (The Hill)
Update #2: Top Democrat expresses concern Tillerson broke law related to child soldiers (CBS News)

WNU Editor: Should Iraq, Myanmar, and Afghanistan be excluded from a U.S. list of offenders in the use of child soldiers? Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya's guarantees it will be put on the list soon .... as for Iraq and Afghanistan .... it is the law, but I am willing to bet that they will continue to be excluded.

A Large Number Of Top U.S. Diplomats Have Left The State Department

The Guardian: Top ranks of US diplomacy 'depleted at dizzying speed' under Trump

Barbara Stephenson, head of foreign service association, says US has lost more than half its career ambassadors since Donald Trump took office.

The US has lost more than half its career ambassadors and a significant proportion of other senior diplomats since Donald Trump took office, the head of the foreign service association has said.

Barbara Stephenson, a former ambassador to Panama and charge d’affaires in London, said that the top ranks of US diplomacy were being “depleted at dizzying speed”, and the state department was under “mounting threats”.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The U.S. State Department has responded .... Union says career diplomats bolting; State Dept. fires back (FOX News). Hmmmm .... career ministers are down from “33 to 19” (of which a few of them were going to retire anyway), and minister counselors have fallen from 431 after Labor Day to 369 in November and “are still falling.” Is this a big thing .... no .... people will be promoted and these positions will be filled with time. The big problem is between the State Department and the White House .... specifically on who to appoint to certain positions .... Diplomats unhappy as nominee with Pence ties is tapped for State job (CNN).

More News On Top U.S. Diplomats Leaving The U.S. State Department

Top U.S. Diplomat Blasts Trump Administration for ‘Decapitation’ of State Department Leadership -- Foreign Policy
Trump Is Making US Weaker, Says Top Diplomat, As Record Numbers Quit -- Newsweek
US diplomacy cuts 'decapitates' State Department leadership -- BBC News
Top ranks of career US diplomats thin under Tillerson: union -- Reuters
Top Diplomat Says US Has Lost 60% of Its Career Ambassadors Under President Trump -- TIME
'Rapid loss' of US diplomats under Trump Administration prompts fears of weakened influence -- DW

Top U.S. Russia Intelligence Official's Private Emails Have Been Hacked

View of the Department of State in Washington, DC. (Kevin Lamarque/courtesy Reuters)

Foreign Policy: Private Email of Top U.S. Russia Intelligence Official Hacked

As concerns about cyberattacks grow, hackers are going after Russia wonks.

On Tuesday morning, a hacker going by the name Johnnie Walker sent a group email to an unknown number of recipients claiming to have a trove of emails from the private account of a U.S. intelligence official.

“The U.S. State Department officer’s email has been hacked,” the email announced, and included at least two years’ worth of personal emails from the private Gmail account of a State Department official working in the secretive intelligence arm of the State Department focusing on Russia.

The sender said the archive included exchanges between the official and “CIA officers and other intelligence agencies, mainstream media, NGOs, and international funds” that would “give you evidence of who is responsible for agenda formation in many countries worldwide, especially where the situation is insecure.”

The official involved is in a senior position in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, according to a 2017 department directory. Even though the official’s name is public, Foreign Policy is not identifying him at the department’s request, citing security concerns.

The emails, from a nongovernment account, include personal information.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is a big story that has been under-reported in the past week. As for the top U.S. State Department Intelligence officer who used a private Gmail account to do business .... talk about "cruising for a bruising".

More News On The The U.S. State Department's Top Russian Intelligence Official Having His Private Emails Hacked

'Top' Russian Intelligence Expert's Emails to CIA Officers Hacked: Report -- Newsweek
Private email of U.S. intel official hacked: report -- The Hill
Hacker who goes by the name Johnnie Walker 'breaks into personal Gmail account of State Department intelligence official who is considered a top expert on Russia' -- Daily Mail
Hackers reportedly hit top US intelligence expert on Russia, stealing private emails to CIA -- International Business Time
Private email of top U.S. Russia intelligence official hacked -- National Post/Washington Post
Mysterious Hacker Leaks Emails Of Top US State Department Expert On Russia -- Zero Hedge

It's Tough Being A Diplomat In Washington Today

View of the Department of State in Washington, DC. (Kevin Lamarque/courtesy Reuters)

Paul Danahar, BBC: The guilty secret of every diplomat in Washington DC

It's tough being a diplomat when nobody talks to you. It's even worse when they aren't talking to you because they don't think you matter anymore.

When he was just a candidate, Donald Trump declared in his first major speech on the issue that "our foreign policy is a complete and total disaster". His solution was to replace it with a slogan: America First. What he hasn't replaced, now that he is president, are the people normally tasked with projecting America's power around the world.

"It can't be business as usual when the entire [upper] floor of the State Department is missing," one ambassador said.

Ambassadors in Washington are clueless these days, or rather clues are all they have, because, as this one was explaining to me, the usual avenues of diplomacy in the US capital have broken down. The same words were spoken by several ambassadors from across the globe that I've spoken to in DC recently.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: One thing that I learned very quickly when I was a very low level diplomat many years ago was the following .... 90% of my time involved doing nothing. With time I learned quickly that since I had nothing to do it was best to build contacts and friendships .... which I did .... but truth be told .... I ended up doing everything but diplomacy. I carried this proud tradition when I started to work for the UN .... and that is an even worse story. Bottom line .... you can eliminate 80% of the diplomatic staff from of the UN .... and it will not impact its operations. Flash forward to today .... even though I have been out of the game for a long time .... I suspect that nothing has really changed .... and that all the diplomats in the world .... regardless of the country .... are doing exactly what I did 30 years ago .... 90% of the time they are doing nothing. But here is the conundrum for today's diplomats .... to justify these incredibly well paid jobs .... tax free .... access to duty free goods and all the rest .... you still have to produce. And what you had to produce was a weekly/monthly/etc. report to justify why you are an important diplomat ... and why you should not be recalled. I am laughing right now because I can only imagine how freaked-out these diplomats in Washington are right now because they have no one to talk to .... no useless report to send back home .... and all because President Trump and Secretary of State Tillerson have not even bothered to fill many of these posts .... because they know exactly what I know .... many of these positions are useless. A prediction .... these post will be filled over time .... too many people are dependent on getting an appointment to at least pay their bills.

One other note .... Paul Danahar in his post above writes that the Trump administration has become this ....

.... Diplomacy in Washington has been reduced to a modern-day version of Kremlinology, where each individual policy outcome is used to measure the influence of the people arguing for or against it.

LOL. There were no debates on policy in the Kremlin during Soviet times. It was always their way (i.e. what the Politburo said) or the highway. The Trump administration has many faults .... but mimicking what the Kremlin was like during the Soviet times .... that it is not.

U.S. Diplomats Are In Revolt Against The Trump Administration

View of the Department of State in Washington, DC. (Kevin Lamarque/courtesy Reuters)

New York Times: Some U.S. Diplomats Stage Quiet Revolt Amid Tensions With Trump

WASHINGTON — As President Trump strains alliances and relationships around the world, some of the nation’s top career diplomats are breaking publicly with him, in what amounts to a quiet revolt by a cadre of public servants known for their professional discretion.

On Monday, the chargé d’affaires at the American Embassy in Beijing, David H. Rank, announced his resignation after telling his staff he could not defend the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

A day earlier, the acting ambassador to Britain, Lewis A. Lukens, tweeted his support of London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack there. On Sunday morning, President Trump had picked a fight with the mayor on Twitter.

Last month, the ambassador to Qatar, Dana Shell Smith, reacted to Mr. Trump’s dismissal of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, by tweeting, “Increasingly difficult to wake up overseas to news from home, knowing I will spend today explaining our democracy and institutions.”

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I have been out of the diplomatic game for almost 25 years .... but when I was in it I always found most U.S. and Western diplomats to be personally liberal/progressive on social issues, economics, and the role of government. And that was then! So am I surprised that there is a revolt among these diplomats against the Trump administration today .... not really. And I am also willing to bet that what really rankles the U.S. diplomatic corp is not the policy differences .... though that is a problem for almost all of them .... but the proposed massive cuts in their budgets. For those who may not know .... the life for a senior Western diplomat is an incredibly privileged one .... it is a culture of entitlement and being incredibly spoiled .... and if you play with their budgets and their expectations on what they can do with that money .... you can take this to the bank .... they go crazy.