Over ten senior officials of the U.S. State Department have submitted their resignations following Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, CNN reports, citing informed sources.
It is noted that most of them received the relevant notifications even before Trump’s inauguration, which took place on Monday. Among those leaving their positions are department heads, policymakers, assistant secretaries of state, and diplomats holding key roles in the agency.
According to sources, such personnel changes are typical during a transition of administrations, as new leaders usually replace key officials. However, the scale and speed of the changes this time are causing concern. As CNN points out, current officials typically remain in place until new appointees are confirmed by the Senate.
One of those who left the State Department is John Bass, who previously held the position of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, making him the third-ranking official in the agency.
The new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, plans to address State Department employees at the agency’s headquarters in Washington on Tuesday. During Senate hearings, Rubio stated the need for concessions from both Kyiv and Moscow to achieve peace, noting that Ukraine may have to abandon the idea of reclaiming all territories lost over the past decade.
