There's A 'Mass Exodus' At The State Department Because People Don't Want To Work For Trump

The State Department's entire senior administrative team quit unexpectedly last month, The Washington Post reported.

Post columnist Josh Rogin described the officials' departures as part of an "ongoing mass exodus of senior foreign service officers who don't want to stick around for the Trump era."

Patrick Kennedy, the agency's undersecretary for management of nine years, resigned suddenly on Jan. 26 after being heavily involved in the Trump team's transition. 

Three of Kennedy's top officials followed his lead, including Assistant Secretary of State for Administration Joyce Anne Barr, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Michele Bond, and Ambassador Gentry O. Smith, director of the Office of Foreign Missions.

"All are career Foreign Service officers who have served under both Republican and Democratic administrations," wrote the Post.

Their departures left the State Department's entire senior level of management empty. Lydia Muniz, director of the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations, quit on Jan. 20, and Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Gregory Starr retired that same day.

"It’s the single biggest simultaneous departure of institutional memory that anyone can remember, and that’s incredibly difficult to replicate," said David Wade, former State Department chief of staff under Secretary of State John Kerry. 

"Department expertise in security, management, administrative and consular positions in particular are very difficult to replicate and particularly difficult to find in the private sector," Wade explained.

Kennedy's departure was particularly surprising: He was reportedly trying to keep his job under Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was confirmed a few days after Kennedy quit, and was taking on more responsibilities in the days leading up to his resignation.

The Post's sources within the State Department weren't sure if Kennedy decided to leave of his own free will or if he was pressured to quit by the Trump administration.

"By itself, the sudden departure of the State Department’s entire senior management team is disruptive enough," writes Rogin. "But in the context of a president who railed against the U.S. foreign policy establishment during his campaign and secretary of state with no government experience, the vacancies are much more concerning."

Read the Post's full report here.