By Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 ambassadors and other senior career diplomats to ensure embassies reflect its “America First” priorities, a move critics said would weaken U.S. leadership in the world.
The State Department declined to provide a list of the diplomats being recalled. A senior department official said on Monday the move was "a standard process in any administration" but critics said that wasn't so.
"An ambassador
is a personal representative of the President, and it is the President’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Nearly 30 senior diplomats were among those ordered back to Washington, people familiar with the matter said.
They were posted to smaller countries where the top U.S. representative has traditionally been from the Foreign Service, which is made up of career officials not aligned with a political party, the people said.
The recalled diplomats were encouraged to find new roles in the State Department, a second U.S. official said.
Trump has sought to place loyalists in senior roles since starting his second term after encountering resistance during his first term advancing his foreign policy priorities within the U.S. national security establishment.
Jeanne Shaheen, ranking Democrat on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, assailed the Republican administration's removal of the diplomats while about 80 ambassadorial posts remain vacant.
"President Trump is giving away U.S. leadership to China and Russia by removing qualified career Ambassadors who serve faithfully no matter who's in power," Shaheen posted on X. "This makes America less safe, less strong and less prosperous."
(Reporting by Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Howard Goller)
