3rd diplomat dumps Trump
WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department’s thirdranking official, Tom Shannon, said on Thursday he was stepping down, the latest senior career diplomat to exit since President Donald Trump took office a year ago.
Shannon, who serves as under secretary of state for political affairs, is the most senior career diplomat at the State Department and has been a fixture among the nation’s diplomatic ranks during more than 34 years of service spanning six presidents and 10 secretaries of state.
In a letter to department staff, Shannon, 60, said he was resigning for personal reasons.
“My decision is personal, and driven by a desire to attend to my family, take stock of my life, and set a new direction for my remaining years,” Shannon wrote in a note to staff after informing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday of his decision to retire. His departure is part of a steady stream of senior career diplomats who have left since Trump became president. It will deprive the State Department of a seasoned veteran at a time when the United States is grappling with crises on several fronts, most notably North Korea’s nuclear threat.
Addressing students at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, hours after his retirement was announced, Shannon emphasised he was not stepping down for political reasons. He admitted that political transitions in Washington were difficult for career civil servants, but said the number of those at the State Department who had left for political reasons was “quite small.” Shannon represented the United States at the inauguration of Liberia’s new president, George Weah, shortly after reported remarks by Trump that immigrants from Africa and Haiti come from “shithole” countries. Shannon, who was ambassador to Brazil from 2005 to 2009 and served in posts in Cameroon, Gabon and Johannesburg, was tasked by former President Barack Obama in 2015 with improving acrimonious relations with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
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