British Ambassador quits after leaked memos spur Trump attack
LONDON – Washington’s “special relationship” with Britain has had its ups and downs under Donald Trump. But this week, to the disbelieving eyes of many observers across the Atlantic, it seemingly was turned on its head.
Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Kim Darroch – Sir Kim to his compatriots – resigned Wednesday, following a leak of brutally frank diplomatic cables he wrote about Trump and, in response, a storm of invective from the president.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday, Trump called the veteran envoy, who rose from working-class roots to a highly lauded diplomatic career lasting four decades, “wacky,” “pompous” and a “very stupid guy.” In the leaked cables, Darroch referred to Trump as “inept” and his administration as “chaotic.”
The episode, playing out over just a few days, was a jarring reminder of how Trump’s disruptive and highly personal style is coloring the United States’ dealings with the rest of the world – in this case, with one of its historically closest allies.
The head of the Foreign Office, Simon Mcdonald, who formally accepted Darroch’s resignation, seemed to be grasping for words as he explained the diplomatic debacle to a committee of lawmakers. He said there had never been an instance, during his 37year tenure in the department, when one of the United Kingdom’s ambassadors had, in effect, been booted out by the head of state of an allied government.
“This is not the first time a British ambassador has left post or resigned because of actions against the host government,” Mcdonald said. “But usually they are governments with whom we have problematic relations, rather than friendly relations.”
Darroch wrote in his resignation letter that he had decided to quit because “the responsible course is to allow the appointment of a new ambassador.” It was not clear when that would occur.
Prime Minister Theresa May had staunchly stood by the 65-year-old envoy, saying he was only doing his job when he provided blunt assessments of the Trump administration and the political climate in Washington. She said his decision to step down was a “matter of great regret.”
Addressing lawmakers, May – who is herself set to depart within weeks – said it was “essential” for professional diplomats like Darroch to be able to be candid in their reports to their home governments.
The leaked cables appeared in the British tabloid the Mail on Sunday. Covering a span from 2017 to the recent past, the diplomatic memos, which were supposed to have been confidential, depicted Trump as erratic, unpredictable and seemingly immune to scandal. His White House was portrayed as a nest of infighting.
Although all sides insisted that Anglo-american ties were fundamentally unshakable, the events injected fresh drama into the race to replace May as prime minister.
The ambassador’s decision to quit came hours after a televised debate in which Boris Johnson, the front-runner to become the next prime minister, refused to defend the ambassador or criticize Trump.
On Wednesday, Johnson’s failure to stand up for Darroch was drawing some heavy fire from across the political spectrum, including within his own Conservative Party. One prominent member of May’s government, Conservative lawmaker Alan Duncan, said Johnson had “basically thrown our top diplomat under the bus.”