7/10/2019

AMBASSADOR/BRITAIN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The swift downfall of Britain’s ambassador in Washington has rattled diplomats who are warning that the leak that led to it, as well as Donald Trump’s bullying along the way, is harming foreign service work around the world. Kim Darroch’s resignation Wednesday [7-10-19] came after withering criticism from the president, who was incensed over leaked private diplomatic cables in which Darroch said Trump ‘radiates insecurity’ and that his administration was ‘dysfunctional.’ The dust-up is just the latest to occur after the public airing of sensitive diplomatic cables — an era that kicked off a decade ago when WikiLeaks began publishing troves of America’s classified cables. And it illustrates the increasing challenges facing diplomats wishing to share blunt and unflattering assessments. Trump’s furious reaction — he called Darroch a ‘pompous fool’ and threatened to stop working with the diplomat — didn’t help, either, former officials said. Diplomats across the globe essentially lead two lives: a public one in which they are cautious about what they say, careful to avoid upsetting host countries; and a private one in which they are duty-bound to report honest, unvarnished analyses about their surroundings with the governments they represent.”

Nahal Toosi, “Trump’s British ambassador takedown unnerves diplomats,” Politico, July 10, 2019 1:39 pm