Secretary of State Marco Rubio told senior State Department officials he or his deputy must approve significant decisions, Reuters reported, adding a layer of oversight to the department’s policy work.
Four people familiar with a meeting last week told Reuters that consequential decisions would go to Rubio or Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau for approval. The account said Rubio’s office would clear political staff travel, and that Rubio urged employees to coordinate policy work and stay within their assigned roles. Reuters also reported that Rubio warned officials unethical conduct could lead to dismissal. The State Department declined to comment.
Reuters separately cited three people who linked former policy chief Jeremy Lewin’s departure partly to concerns about coordination. A State Department official said the departure was mutually agreed. Lewin told Reuters he had planned to resign and said his exit was unrelated to a meeting or management policy.
The Washington Post published text of an Oct. 14 department-wide memo from Rubio. It urged employees to identify conflicts, act impartially and keep government duties from serving personal interests. A State Department official told the newspaper the memo had been in preparation for weeks.
Earlier, on Oct. 6, Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen asked Rubio to review allegations involving U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle. Shaheen’s letter alleged Guilfoyle advocated for a foreign company and gave a lobbyist access to official meetings. The White House asked Guilfoyle to resign on Oct. 13, the Associated Press reported. She denied the allegations and said she would defend her reputation.
Democrats won control of both chambers in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, according to the Associated Press. Reuters reported that they plan to scrutinize dealings between President Donald Trump’s aides and foreign officials after taking control in January.
