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Foreign Policy
State Was Caught Flat-Footed: Following Trumps Line, Sources Say Pompeo Left State Vulnerable During the Crisis
Former diplomats say that no steps were taken to protect Americans overseas and that Pompeo, seeing political danger, wants to stay as far from the crisis as possible.
By Abigail Tracy
March 24, 2020
Mike Pompeo owes his success in Trumpworld, first as CIA director and now Americas top diplomat, to performing for an audience of one. While not as removed as his predecessor, Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State has often seemed to treat the State Department (Trump likes to refer to it as the Deep State Department) as an afterthought, if not an impediment. But as the threat of the novel coronavirus grew globally, diplomats grew increasingly concerned that Pompeos lack of leadership would have a human toll. Pompeo suffers now from the same infirmity that he suffered prior to the pandemic, a lack of credibility, except now the consequences are even more grave, a former State Department official told me. This is not just for the public, but also for the workforce.
With roughly 75,000 employees scattered around the world, many in countries where the contagion took hold before the novel coronavirus hit American shores, the State Department isnt a typical workplace. Sources I spoke with have criticized Pompeos decision to follow the Trumpian linetotally under control; its just like the fluarguing that it left diplomats and Americans overseas at risk. State was caught flat-footed just like everyone else because of the deliberate approach of the White House to downplay the problem
. How did State not stand up a task force? a former ambassador told me. Under any other secretary, a task force would have been stood up months ago. To review conditions in every single country. (On Thursday of last week, the State Department did set up a task force, the Coronavirus Global Response Coordination Unit, to bring American citizens overseas back to the U.S.)
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But inside Foggy Bottom what sources describe as a lack of clear guidance and specifics has left diplomats thirsting for more information. His communications were vague and general about the workforce and did not exhibit much interest or concern, a second former State Department employee, still in touch with many former colleagues, told me. In my view he has mostly checked out on the leadership side of things, feeling, I guess, that he has other things to focus his energies on. He appears to be leaving the response and communications to others, his subordinates, to maintain some distance. Not sure what to compare it to but I think the sentiment is that he could be doing a lot more.
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https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/03/mike-pompeo-state-department-coronavirus