Tag: Trump State Department

Pompeo faces GOP grilling on Russia, North Korea

The following article by Alexander Bolton was posted on the Hill website July 24, 2018:

© Greg Nash

Republican and Democratic lawmakers concerned over the uncertainty swirling around President Trump’s foreign and trade policies will press Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for answers Wednesday, but there are doubts about how much he can answer.

Pompeo is scheduled to testify at 3 p.m. before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, an eagerly awaited appearance for lawmakers hungry to know more about Trump’s two-hour private meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week in Helsinki.

There are also questions about the status of diplomatic talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and what the administration’s next moves are after pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal in May.

Senators want Pompeo to explain Trump’s persistent criticism of European allies, something they fear has eroded trust within NATO.

View the complete article here.

State Department spokeswoman notes D-Day in answer on ‘strong relationship’ with Germany

The following article by Eli Watkins was posted on the CNN website June 5, 2018:

Washington (CNN) — State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Tuesday cited the D-Day invasion during an answer about the current state of US-German relations.

“We have a very strong relationship with the government of Germany,” Nauert said. “Looking back in the history books, today is the 71st anniversary of the speech that announced the Marshall Plan. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the D-Day invasion. We obviously have a very long history with the government of Germany, and we have a strong relationship with the government of Germany.” Continue reading “State Department spokeswoman notes D-Day in answer on ‘strong relationship’ with Germany”

Rex Tillerson’s $12 million army of consultants

The following article by Nahal Toosi was posted on the Politico website April 5, 2018:

The cost-cutting former Secretary of State had grand ambitions for a department ‘redesign,’ but its clearest impact is a huge bill for consultants, some of whom charged more than $300 an hour.

It was one of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s core goals: radically reshaping the State Department to make it leaner, cheaper and modernized to the standards of a former private-sector CEO.

 

 

Now that Tillerson has been fired, the vaunted “Redesign” initiative he launched faces an uncertain future, but at least one clear legacy: around $12 million spent just for private consultants who in some cases charged the State Department more than $300 an hour. Continue reading “Rex Tillerson’s $12 million army of consultants”

Trump installs former ‘Fox and Friends’ host as under secretary of state

The following article by Luke Barnes was posted on the ThinkProgress website March 13, 2018:

Trump installs former ‘Fox and Friends’ host as under secretary of state

US Dept of State Credit: Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

A State Department spokeswoman and former Fox and Friends co-host will replace a top aide to former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who contradicted the official account of how Tillerson was fired Tuesday.

Steve Goldstein, former under secretary of public affairs, said that Tillerson found out about his firing on Tuesday morning after reading a tweet from President Donald Trump. The White House said that chief of staff John Kelly had previously told Tillerson he would be replaced. Goldstein, who had only been at his post since December, was fired on Tuesday as well. Continue reading “Trump installs former ‘Fox and Friends’ host as under secretary of state”

While you weren’t looking: 5 stories from the Trump administration that aren’t about taxes

The following article by A.P. Joyce was posted on the mic.com website December 18, 2017:

The news this week was dominated by the historic election of Doug Jonesin Alabama and the ongoing machinations to try to pass the Republican tax bill before the senator is sworn in.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been hard at work making consequential policy decisions that affect the U.S. and its relationship with the rest of the world.

Here’s what you might have missed: Continue reading “While you weren’t looking: 5 stories from the Trump administration that aren’t about taxes”

Report: State’s Tillerson Could Be Replaced by CIA’s Pompeo

The following article by the Roll Call staff was posted on the Roll Call website November 30, 2017:

Updated 11:44 a.m.| President Donald Trump’s White House has developed plans to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, according to The New York Times.

Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton would move into Pompeo’s position, the news outlet said citing senior administration officials.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelley reportedly developed the plan, which is said to be scheduled around the year’s end. Continue reading “Report: State’s Tillerson Could Be Replaced by CIA’s Pompeo”

Foreign Service leadership being ‘decapitated’ and ‘depleted at a dizzying speed’

The following column by Joe Davidson was posted on the Washington Post  website November 17, 2017:

Credit: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

When President Trump reported on his trip to Asia, he heaped praise on himself and said the nation’s “standing in the world has never been stronger than it is right now.”

Using “I” 42 times in his 23-minute speech Wednesday, he declared “NATO, believe me, is very happy with Donald Trump and what I did,” as he touted previous accomplishments.

Trump’s unmatched self-adulation might cloud his view of the hard work by foreign service staffers and their increased difficulties because of his administration’s hiring freeze.

Noting a recent Time magazine cover “with its graphic of wrecking balls and warning of ‘dismantling government as we know it,’ ” American Foreign Service Association President Barbara Stephenson is cautioning against “mounting threats to our institution — and to the global leadership that depends on us.” Continue reading “Foreign Service leadership being ‘decapitated’ and ‘depleted at a dizzying speed’”