US Democrats urge Trump to reverse mass ambassador recalls

WASHINGTON: Democratic senators urged US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Dec 24) to reverse the recall of nearly 30 career ambassadors, warning the move risks creating a leadership vacuum that could allow rivals such as China and Russia to expand their influence.

The Trump administration has ordered veteran diplomats serving across Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America back to Washington as it seeks to align US missions abroad with the president’s “America First” priorities. The State Department has not said how or when the recalled ambassadors would be replaced, with a senior official describing the move as “a standard process in any administration”.

WARNING OF A LEADERSHIP VACUUM

In a letter seen by Reuters, 10 Democrats on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the sweeping recalls were unprecedented in the modern era of the US Foreign Service and lacked a clear plan to ensure continuity.

They warned the decision would push the number of vacant US ambassadorial posts to more than 100, roughly half of all such positions worldwide. About 80 posts were already empty before the recalls, the senators said.

“As the over 100 US embassies lacking senior leadership await a new US ambassador, China, Russia and others will maintain regular communications with foreign leaders that we will have effectively abandoned,” the letter said, adding that this could allow US adversaries to expand their reach and harm American interests.

The White House referred questions to the State Department, which accused Democrats of obstructing ambassadorial appointments. Republicans, who control the Senate, changed confirmation rules in September, arguing Democrats had slowed the installation of Trump’s nominees.