UNITED STATES
Sources at the US Department of State say ambassadors appointed by President Donald Trump are forcing out some of the senior Public Servants who serve under them.
They point to the example of Lana Marks (pictured), a successful fashion designer and member of Mr Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Though she has no prior diplomatic experience, Ms Marks was named Ambassador to South Africa and last month forced out her second in command, veteran career Foreign Service officer, David Young.
Some current officials say Mr Young’s case illustrates a growing trend in the Trump Administration.
Already, several of Mr Trump’s political allies-turned-ambassadors — he has appointed a higher percentage than most previous presidents — have sacked their deputies amid a culture of mistrust between politically appointed and career State Department officials.
Ms Marks has also faced other criticism within the State Department over how she manages the embassy in Pretoria, although management problems there predate her arrival.
Other staff at the embassy have either been pushed out or left their post early, including officials who worked on foreign aid and health programs.
An internal State Department watchdog report released last month on the diplomatic mission in South Africa detailed allegations of employees experiencing bullying and mismanagement, months before Ms Marks assumed her role as ambassador.
Last month, the State Department dispatched several senior officials to South Africa to help manage tensions at the embassy, according to sources.
It’s not the first time the State Department has had to respond to allegations of mismanagement at embassies abroad, nor is it unique to the current Administration.
However, officials say Mr Trump’s politically appointed ambassadors are sacking their deputy chiefs of mission — an embassy’s second-in-command post held by Foreign Service Officers — in unusually high numbers.
Washington, 6 February 2020
