Trump Corona Chaos Extends to U.S. Diplomatic Posts
Stranded Americans
The Trump Corona Chaos is impacting U.S. citizens overseas. The news media has been reporting the dilemma many Americans abroad are finding themselves in as aviation and other public transportation is shut down. At the same time, U.S. diplomats are receiving virtually no, or conflicting, guidance from the State Department on their own fate. Many are serving in countries with rudimentary medical facilities. Some employees, or family members, have health conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to the corona virus. Returning to the U.S. is vital to them. But they are getting little support from Washington.
The respected blogger on the State Department, DiploPundit, received the following from one frustrated diplomat:
U.S. diplomats are now stuck in countries where U.S. citizens are specifically advised not to use local medical facilities and the embassies only have small medical units for minor issues. Even if they’re needed, there are zero local hospital beds available. Best case, it sounds like multiple OIG complaints waiting to happen. But when did the administration’s image at home become more important than people’s lives? How much Swagger will SecState have when his people start dying?”
Diplomatic posts are receiving mixed messages on what to do. No uniform directives have gone out regarding "ordered" and "voluntary departure." The way it's usually done is that an embassy's Emergency Action Committee, with the chief of mission's approval, draws up a list of "essential" and "non-essential" personnel. When faced with emergency situations (conflict, civil disturbances, terrorism, natural disasters, etc.), family members and some or all non-essential personnel may then be sent out of the country. But some posts are reporting that senior officials at State are discouraging formalized departures. The result is confusion and anxiety.
Secretary Pompeo told reporters a few days ago that there have been a "couple" of confirmed corona cases, one at the Foggy Bottom headquarters. Otherwise, domestic-and-overseas-based employees rely on the grapevine for information, apocryphal or real. A department officer told me that should President Trump stick by his commitment to "re-open the economy" in two weeks, leading to an exacerbation of the pandemic, "I may well just stay home."
DiploPundit asks, "Is the State Department prepared to have our people overseas remain in country and die in country?"
Meanwhile, State is scrambling to play catch-up in rescuing Americans stranded overseas. With flights severely curtailed and other transportation shut down, these citizens are at wit's end on how to return home. A State Department source told me there are, for example, thousands of Americans still stranded in the Dominican Republic. Embassies are working overtime to charter flights and see to their welfare. But, again, the crippled State Department is behind the ball.
"There has still been a serious lack of leadership from the top, with little or no guidance. I think the purge from 2017 really decimated us, we lost some great leaders," one U.S. diplomat serving overseas messaged me. The Trump/Tillerson/Pompeo purges have depleted the department of much competent leadership, with many senior positions either vacant or occupied by "acting" officials.
"Every embassy is just making it up as we go along," one overseas-based Foreign Service officer told a CNN reporter. "There's no f*cking uniformed guidance to the field…guidance from the mothership matters at State and I think that guidance has been lacking."
And a senior State official told me, "The lack of direction for evac flights of Amcits is somewhere between scandalous and pathetic."
As part of its bureaucracy-chopping campaign, the administration eliminated the Crisis Management Office in the Consular Affairs Bureau. Now, the department is trying to play catch-up by setting up a task force headed by senior career Foreign Service officer Ian Brownlee. A consular officer told me, "I called them yesterday. There were five people working - only one consular officer who had no clue (not his fault)." This officer added, "We are doing the best we can here in the field, coming up with solutions, sharing them with other posts. My team is getting the job done. "
Another department official confirmed to me, "In general, particularly the week before last, there was a distinct lack of central leadership, sort of 'let a hundred flowers bloom.' I assume S (the Secretary) did not want to get ahead of his skis with POTUS by giving clear direction."
I, for one, am confident that the selfless rank-and-file public servants in the trenches will save the day for stranded Amcits through grit and self-initiative. As for their own fate as corona flares, I'm not so confident given the active neglect and hostility they have endured from Trump and Pompeo.
Trump's referring to his diplomatic establishment as "The Deep State Department" the other day says it all. And guess what, Mr. President? There are consequences.