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Trump Removes 30 Career Diplomats 12/22 06:15
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 career
diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior embassy posts as it moves to
reshape the U.S. diplomatic posture abroad with personnel deemed fully
supportive of President Donald Trump's "America First" priorities.
The chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were informed last week that
their tenures would end in January, according to two State Department
officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal personnel
moves.
All of them had taken up their posts in the Biden administration but had
survived an initial purge in the early months of Trump's second term that
targeted mainly political appointees. That changed on Wednesday when they began
to receive notices from officials in Washington about their imminent departures.
Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president although they typically
remain at their posts for three to four years. Those affected by the shake-up
are not losing their foreign service jobs but will be returning to Washington
for other assignments should they wish to take them, the officials said.
The State Department declined to comment on specific numbers or ambassadors
affected, but defended the changes, calling them "a standard process in any
administration." It noted that an ambassador is "a personal representative of
the president and it is the president's right to ensure that he has individuals
in these countries who advance the America First agenda."
Africa is the continent most affected by the removals, with ambassadors from
13 countries being removed: Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Ivory Coast,
Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda.
Second is Asia, with ambassadorial changes coming to six countries: Fiji,
Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam
affected.
Four countries in Europe (Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia) are
affected; as are two each in the Middle East (Algeria and Egypt); South and
Central Asia (Nepal and Sri Lanka); and the Western Hemisphere (Guatemala and
Suriname).
Politico was the first to report on the ambassadorial recalls, which have
drawn concern from some lawmakers and the union representing American diplomats.
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