Did the State Department senior team quit? CNN reporting they were "fired".

[annabanana]

Is tendering the resignation a pro forma thing at the beginning of all new administrations?

[Generator]

1. Either way we are fucked

Which is a good answer for everything on this site anymore.

[Mrs. Overall]

2. I was just going to post the same thing--this is very confusing...

[underpants]

3. Everyone has to resign. They were kept on. I think they quit

The first story I read on this had a mention way down in the article that there was "uncertainty" within the department as to whether they quit or were fired. I read that throwing a bone to the current powers. But that's just me.

[elehhhhna]

7. I don't think everyone has to resign,

although it may be done as a nod to protocol

But it's nice to know that nobody knows what the hell is going on and nobody's managing the State Department.

And don't worry about it, I'm sure Putin has a great list of people he'd love to see take those positions

[underpants]

14. My mistake. Post10 sums it up perfectly

[elehhhhna]

4. I will bet you $1 million that the Trump administration says they were fired

And if they said that we know it's a lie because they said it.

[HipChick]

6. Agree

[frazzled]

5. I've been wondering same thing since the story broke

I don't think it's pro forma to ask career employees (as opposed to political appointees) to resign. Who knows. But it's chilling either way: whether they resigned or were fired.

[elehhhhna]

8. I believe you are correct.

Either way this scares me.

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. They had to turn in a resignation letter, which is normal when a new Pres. comes in.

And there has been news prior this that Trump brusquely ordered career people to leave even on day of Inauguration,
and then had to call some of them back when it was made clear to him what a bad decision it was.

I love that the guy in charge of the Inauguration, who was thus treated so shabbily, refused to a do-over once panicked Trumpers realized the implications of having NO ONE in charge of security for the Inauguration.

So, yes, Trump had the resignation letters, , but I get the feeling he was not going to use them so soon.

If he DID tell them to leave, then he really screwed anyone serious about the SOS job.
How would you like to be hired to run an agency and then be told YOUR boss shit canned everyone who knew how to keep it running before you started the job?

Either all those people quit on their own, in which case bravo for them
or
they were fired, leaving a very critical agency blind to the advantage of someone, say like..Putin.

[malaise]

9. Career civil servants cannot be fired

Bullshit

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. If the're career, no. If they're political appointees, yes. NT

[Peacetrain]

11. You are kidding me... oh no ..

[JHB]

13. Another possibility: there was talk of the sTrumpets replacing them...

...so they left en masse on their own timetable rather than having to act as the training wheels for dingleberries Trump puts in.

[NotThisTime]

15. My money says they quit and Trump wants you to think they were fired

He doesn't want anyone to know anybody quit under his "leadership"