Foreign policy

Trump Orders Obama-appointed Ambassadors Leave Posts by Inauguration Day

Donald Trump’s team has ordered all politically appointed ambassadors serving in overseas posts to leave by Inauguration Day, according to a report in The New York Times.

The mandate — issued “without exceptions,” according to a terse State Department cable sent on Dec. 23, diplomats who saw it said — threatens to leave the United States without Senate-confirmed envoys for months in critical nations like Germany, Canada and Britain. In the past, administrations of both parties have often granted extensions on a case-by-case basis to allow a handful of ambassadors, particularly those with school-age children, to remain in place for weeks or months.

An unnamed senior Trump transition official told the Times there was “no ill will” in the order and said the ambassadors shouldn’t be surprised by the requirement, which is simply meant to ensure the appointees leave on time.