Category Archives: Ambassadors

Read: USEU Amb. Gordon Sondland’s Prepared Statement For Impeachment Inquiry

October 17, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Impeachment Inquiry, Political Appointees, State Department, Trump, U.S. Missions, Ukraine Tags: , Leave a comment

 

 

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Ex-Pompeo Adviser Ambassador P. Michael McKinley Appears at Impeachment Inquiry

October 17, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Congress, Foreign Service, FSOs, Impeachment Inquiry, Leadership and Management, Mike Pompeo, Pompeo, Realities of the FS, Secretary of State, State Department, Top Ranks, Trends, Trump, Ukraine Tags: , , , Leave a comment

 

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USEU Ambassador Gordon Sondland in the News: Drip …Drip … Drip…

October 17, 2019 By in Ambassadors, EUR|Europe, Functional Bureaus, Impeachment Inquiry, Political Appointees, Realities of the FS, State Department, Trends, Trump, U.S. Missions, Ukraine Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

 

U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, a Trump donor and a central figure in the Ukraine nightmare is scheduled to appear for a deposition on Thursday, October 17. As far as we could tell there are currently three streams of reporting concerning Sondland: Ukraine. the late breaking news of the renovation of the Chief of Mission Residence (CMR), in Brussels, and the reported ongoing boycott of his Portland-based hotel properties, Provenance Hotels. The Oregonian citing Oregon Public Broadcasting also said that “the popular local ice cream company Salt & Straw had severed its professional ties with Provenance, a chain of upscale hotels across the country, including six in Portland.”
We imagine that if his testimony is favorable to his boss, that we would likely see him tweeted as, oh, who knows … superman or the greatest ambassador ever. Or he could end up spending more time with his family. We should know soon.
WaPo on the $1 million official residence renovation:

The State Department defended the renovations, saying they were part of a “regular 17-year cycle of reviewing and refreshing furnishings and interior décor in representational residences.” The renovations were funded in April, after Sondland’s confirmation, a spokesman said. “Other minor renovations currently underway” were reviewed and approved by staff at the U.S. mission and funded in fiscal 2019, which began in October, after Sondland was confirmed.

Remember when a political ambassador was not pleased with the condition of the official residence mattress, or when embassy staff members spent several days to locate and purchase an umbrella for the official residence patio? Those were way cheaper than  a “family kitchen,” at a cost of just under $223,000. Not sure why he was not allowed to spend his own money. Anyone remember Ambassador Ronald Spogli and the $1.1M wine cellar donated to Villa Taverna in Rome? Also Ambassador Thomas Foley who reportedly spent $500,000 of his own money restoring the US ambassador’s residence in Phoenix Park in Dublin?
By the way, we’d like to know what other official residences are on State/OBO’s docket for renovations. These renovations are not unheard of but these are often scheduled years in advance. We’ve looked for the fiscal year projection for the USEU official residence in Brussels going back to FY2016, and so far have not been able to locate it.  But we see that the “major rehabilitation” of the Chief of Mission Residence Paris is on the expected to be awarded list for FY 2019. Cost for that should be interesting.

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Read: Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch’s Prepared Deposition Statement

October 11, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Congress, Foreign Service, FSOs, Impeachment Inquiry, State Department, U.S. Missions Tags: , ,

 

Excerpt from Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch’s prepared deposition statement:

Before I close, I must share the deep disappointment and dismay I have felt as these events have unfolded. I have served this nation honorably for more than 30 years. I have proudly promoted and served American interests as the representative of the American people and six different presidents over the last three decades. Throughout that time, I—like my colleagues at the State Department—have always believed that we enjoyed a sacred trust with our government.

We make a difference every day on issues that matter to the American people—whether it is war and peace, trade and investment, or simply helping with a lost passport. We repeatedly uproot our lives, and we frequently put ourselves in harm’s way to serve this nation. And we do that willingly, because we believe in America and its special role in the world. We also believe that, in return, our government will have our backs and protect us if we come under attack from foreign interests.

That basic understanding no longer holds true. Today, we see the State Department attacked and hollowed out from within. State Department leadership, with Congress, needs to take action now to defend this great institution, and its thousands of loyal and effective employees. We need to rebuild diplomacy as the first resort to advance America’s interests and the front line of America’s defense. I fear that not doing so will harm our nation’s interest, perhaps irreparably.

That harm will come not just through the inevitable and continuing resignation and loss of many of this nation’s most loyal and talented public servants. It also will come when those diplomats who soldier on and do their best to represent our nation face partners abroad who question whether the ambassador truly speaks for the President and can be counted upon as a reliable partner. The harm will come when private interests circumvent professional diplomats for their own gain, not the public good. The harm will come when bad actors in countries beyond Ukraine see how easy it is to use fiction and innuendo to manipulate our system. In such circumstances, the only interests that will be served are those of our strategic adversaries, like Russia, that spread chaos and attack the institutions and norms that the U.S.helped create and which we have benefited from for the last 75 years.

I am proud of my work in Ukraine. The U.S. Embassy, under my leadership, represented and advanced the policies of the United States government as articulated, first by the Obama Administration and then by the Trump Administration. Our efforts were intended, and evidently succeeded, in thwarting corrupt interests in Ukraine, who fought back by selling baseless conspiracy theories to anyone who would listen. Sadly, someone was listening, and our nation is the worse off for that.

Read in full here:

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SDNY Alleges That Political Donors Target a Career U.S. Ambassador For Removal With Sludge People Assist

October 11, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Congress, Court Cases, Diplomatic Life, Foreign Service, FSOs, Mike Pompeo, Pompeo, Realities of the FS, Staffing the FS, State Department, Trends, Trump, U.S. Missions, Ukraine Tags: , , , , ,

 

It is no longer news when political donors end up with ambassadorships. We just did not know until today that political donors apparently are now also able to affect the removal or the recall of a career ambassador according to the indictment (see p.8) from the Southern District of New York. The SDNY alleged that these political donors sought assistance from “Congressman-1” in causing the U.S. Government to remove or recall the then U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (that would be Marie Yovanovitch). The effort was conducted in part at the request of Ukrainian officials.
Congressman-1 has not been indicted nor identified in the indictment. SDNY said that investigations are ongoing.
The recall of Ambassador Yovanovich in May 2019 followed a persistent campaign for her removal among conservative media outlets in the United States. The State Department reportedly told RFE/RL  on May 6,  that Ambassador Yovanovitch “is concluding her 3-year diplomatic assignment in Kyiv in 2019 as planned.” And that “her confirmed departure date in May aligns with the presidential transition in Ukraine,” which elected a new president in April.
We now know that none of that is true. What other truth-sounding stuff are they telling us?
Those who are quick to point out that she was appointed United States Ambassador to Ukraine by President Obama, should know that Ambassador Yovanovitch was first appointed United States Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan by President George W. Bush.  She was also appointed United States Ambassador to Armenia by President George W. Bush, but her tenure in Yerevan, as a career diplomat, spanned the Bush Administration and the  Obama Administration (2008-2011). We’ve seen folks insists on calling her an Obama “holdover,” perhaps they’ll think otherwise if they realize that she was a Bush “holdover” before she became an Obama “holdover. Career people do tend to serve from one administration to the next.
We expect that we’ll hear more about this case in the days ahead. What is clear to us right now is if this could happen to Ambassador Yovanovitch who has over three decades of dedicated service, this could happen to anyone in the U.S. diplomatic service.
Also, Ambassador P. Michael McKinley, Senior Advisor to Pompeo, Quits.
Read the full SDNY Indictment of Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman here (PDF).

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Ambassador P. Michael McKinley, Senior Advisor to Pompeo, Quits

October 10, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Foreign Service, FSOs, Mike Pompeo, Pompeo, Realities of the FS, Resignations, Secretary of State, State Department, Top Ranks, Ukraine Tags: , ,

 

Ambassador P. Michael McKinley, Senior Adviser to the Secretary of State has reportedly resigned from his post. Citing “a person familiar with the situation”, WaPo reported  that “McKinley felt that Pompeo had been a positive force compared to his predecessor, Rex Tillerson, in terms of encouraging alternative views within the department, as well as lifting a Tillerson freeze on promotions and prohibitions against spouses working abroad.”  Also that “Like many others, he was disappointed in the secretary’s lack of public support for diplomats who have been named in the Ukraine controversy and called to testify before House committees conducting the impeachment inquiry into the actions of Trump and his personal attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani.”
Pompeo ‘s statement about McKinley’s departure is reportedly forthcoming. We’re bracing for a revelation about this departure.  We hope Pompeo’s minders have a more creative excuse for this departure … like Ambassador McKinley is leaving because he wants to start a farm in Oregon, or Ambassador McKinley is writing a book, and going on a book tour. Something like that. We’re getting tired of being told that an official would like to spend more time with her/his family. Or that this departure is “as planned” as PA folks like to put it when things are certainly not “as planned.”

Via state.gov

P. Michael McKinley was appointed to the position of Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State in May 2018. He most recently served as the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil from 2017-2018, and as the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2014 to 2016. He was also U.S. Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2013 to 2014. Ambassador McKinley was the U.S. Ambassador to Colombia from 2010-2013 and the U.S. Ambassador to Peru from 2007-2010. He was Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels between 2004 and 2007. From 2001-2004, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. Between 1994 and 2001, Ambassador McKinley was Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’ Affaires at U.S. Embassies in Mozambique, Uganda, and Belgium. Earlier assignments include U.S. Embassy London (1990-94), three tours in Washington (1985-90), and Bolivia (1983-85). Ambassador McKinley joined the Foreign Service in 1982. Ambassador McKinley was born in Venezuela and grew up in Brazil, Mexico, Spain, and the United States. He did his undergraduate and graduate studies in the United Kingdom, and has a doctorate from Oxford University. His history of colonial Venezuela was published by Cambridge University Press as part of its Latin America series, and also appeared in a Spanish edition.

USEU Sondland Turns Over WhatsApp Messages and Other Docs to @StateDept

October 9, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Congress, Govt Documents, Huh? News, Impeachment Inquiry, Mike Pompeo, Political Appointees, Pompeo, Realities of the FS, Secretary of State, State Department, Technology and Work, Trends, Trump, U.S. Missions, Ukraine Tags: , , , , , ,

 

Via Yahoo News:

The State Department waited until 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday to tell U.S. Ambassador Gordon Sondland not to show up for his scheduled deposition with three House committees later that morning, the ambassador’s lawyer told Yahoo News. Robert Luskin, Sondland’s attorney, said he got the extraordinary middle-of-the-night directive in a phone call from a State Department official he declined to identify. The official offered no explanation of the grounds on which the State Department was blocking Sondland’s appearance at the last minute.

Michael Isikoff reported that Luskin confirmed that Sondland has already turned over to the State Department WhatsApp messages, text messages and other documents in his possession relevant to the House investigation.
Also, which State Department official made the call to Sondland at 12:30 a.m.? Curious people wants to know.

Trump Admin Blocks USEU Amb Gordon Sondland From Being Deposed 10/8 Over #Ukraine (Updated)

October 8, 2019 By in Ambassadors, EUR|Europe, Foreign Policy, Impeachment Inquiry, international organizations, Political Appointees, Politics, State Department, Trends, Trump, U.S. Missions Tags: , ,

 

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Snapshot: 90-Day Rule For Former Presidential Appointees in the Foreign Service

October 8, 2019 By in Ambassadors, Appointments, Career Employees, Diplomatic Life, Foreign Service, FSOs, Realities of the FS, Regulations, Snapshots, State Department, Trends Tags: , , , ,

 

3 FAM 6215  MANDATORY RETIREMENT OF FORMER PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTEES

(CT:PER-594;   03-06-2007)
(State only)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)

a. Career members of the Service who have completed Presidential assignments under section 302(b) of the Act, and who have not been reassigned within 90 days after the termination of such assignment, plus any period of authorized leave, shall be retired as provided in section 813 of the Act. For purposes of this section, a reassignment includes the following:
(1) An assignment to an established position for a period of at least six months pursuant to the established assignments process (including an assignment that has been approved in principle by the appropriate assignments panel);
(2) Any assignment pursuant to section 503 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended;
(3) A detail (reimbursable or nonreimbursable) to another U.S. Government agency or to an international organization;
(4) A transfer to an international organization pursuant to 5 U.S.C. sections 3581 through 3584; or
(5) A pending recommendation to the President that the former appointee be nominated for a subsequent Presidential appointment to a specific position.
b. Except as provided for in paragraph c of this section, a reassignment does not include an assignment to a Department bureau in “overcomplement” status or to a designated “Y” tour position.
c. The Director General may determine that appointees who have medical conditions that require assignment to “medical overcomplement” status are reassigned for purposes of Section 813 of the Foreign Service Act.
d. To the maximum extent possible, former appointees who appear not likely to be reassigned and thus subject to mandatory retirement under section 813 of the Act will be so notified in writing by the Director General not later than 30 days prior to the expiration of the 90-day reassignment period.

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Read: Kurt Volker’s Prepared Testimony in Ukraine Investigation

October 7, 2019 By in Ambassadors, EUR|Europe, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Hotspots, Impeachment Inquiry, Political Appointees, Special Envoys and Reps, State Department, Top Ranks, Trends, Trump Tags: , , ,