Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
British Ambassador Quits Days After Criticisms of Trump Leaked
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
July 10, 2019

Share

LONDON — Britain’s ambassador to the United States resigned Wednesday after being made a diplomatic nobody by President Donald Trump following the leak of the envoy’s unflattering opinions about the U.S. administration.

In the leaked documents, he called the Trump administration’s policy toward Iran “incoherent,” said the president might be indebted to “dodgy Russians,” and raised doubts about whether the White House “will ever look competent.”
Veteran diplomat Kim Darroch said he could no longer do his job in Washington after Trump branded him a fool and cut off all contact with the representative of one of the U.S.’s closest allies.
The break in relations followed a British newspaper’s publication Sunday of leaked documents that revealed the ambassador’s dim view of Trump’s administration, which Darroch described as dysfunctional, inept and chaotic.
“The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like,” Darroch said in his resignation letter.
In the leaked documents, he called the Trump administration’s policy toward Iran “incoherent,” said the president might be indebted to “dodgy Russians,” and raised doubts about whether the White House “will ever look competent.”
“We don’t really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept,” one missive said.

Darroch Had Been Set to Retire at End of Year

Prime Minister Theresa May and other British politicians have praised Darroch and condemned the leak in recent days. Some also accused Boris Johnson, who is likely to be picked as Britain’s next prime minister later this month, of failing to stand up for the U.K.’s envoy in Washington because he wanted to curry favor with Trump.

“The fact that Sir Kim has been bullied out of his job, because of Donald Trump’s tantrums and Boris Johnson’s pathetic lick-spittle response, is something that shames our country.” — Emily Thornberry, Labour Party spokeswoman on foreign affairs issues
“The fact that Sir Kim has been bullied out of his job, because of Donald Trump’s tantrums and Boris Johnson’s pathetic lick-spittle response, is something that shames our country,” said Emily Thornberry, the spokeswoman on foreign affairs issues for the main opposition Labour Party.
Darroch had been set to retire at the end of the year. It’s unclear whether May will have time to name a replacement before she leaves office later this month.
Appointing ambassadors usually involves a formal civil service process with advertisements, applications and interviews, though Simon McDonald, head of Britain’s diplomatic service, said the post of ambassador to the U.S. wasn’t always chosen that way.
Darroch announced his decision the morning after a debate between the two contenders to replace May as party leader and prime minister, Johnson and Jeremy Hunt.

British Officials Hunting for Culprit Behind Leak

Hunt, who is Britain’s foreign secretary, vowed to keep Darroch in the post, but Johnson pointedly did not.
“I think it’s very important we should have a close partnership, a close friendship with the United States,” Johnson said.
Darroch’s forthright, unfiltered views on the U.S. administration — meant for a limited audience and discreet review — appeared in the leaked documents published by Britain’s Mail on Sunday newspaper.
Darroch had served as Britain’s envoy to Washington since 2016; the leaked cables covered a period from 2017 to recent weeks.
British officials are hunting for the culprit behind the leak, which was both an embarrassment to May’s government and a major breach of diplomatic security.
“We will pursue the culprit with all the means at our disposal,” Foreign Office chief Simon McDonald told a committee of lawmakers.

 

Darroch a Prominent Figure in Washington

He told the Foreign Affairs Committee that even hostile states had not taken such action in his nearly 37 years in the department.
“This is not the first time a British ambassador has left post or resigned because of actions against the host government, but usually they are governments with whom we have problematic relations rather than friendly relations,” McDonald said. But he said the trans-Atlantic relationship was “so deep and so wide that it will withstand any individual squall.”
Like his predecessors, Darroch was a prominent figure in Washington, meeting frequently with high-level U.S. officials and hosting parties at the stately British Embassy.
Gatherings were frequently bipartisan, drawing guests from the Trump and Obama administrations, who mingled with journalists and members of prominent think tanks.

“It is shameful that Kim Darroch has effectively been forced out for doing the job that diplomats are appointed to do. Boris Johnson’s failure last night to stand up for him — and stand up to the behavior of Donald Trump — spoke volumes.” — Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
Darroch often addressed the attendees at such gatherings, making sure to single out high-level administration officials.
Trump’s tweets created fury among many British politicians and officials, who found themselves insulted by the president’s decision to have the administration cut off contact with their ambassador.
It underscored that the close relationship between the two countries has become increasingly lopsided — a severe problem as the U.K. prepares to set a new path with its departure from the European Union.
“It is shameful that Kim Darroch has effectively been forced out for doing the job that diplomats are appointed to do,” Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted. “Boris Johnson’s failure last night to stand up for him — and stand up to the behavior of Donald Trump — spoke volumes.”
Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan went further, accusing Johnson of having “thrown our top diplomat under a bus” for his own personal interests.
But Trump supporter and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage described the resignation as, “the right decision.”
He tweeted: “Time (to) put in a non-Remainer who wants a trade deal with America.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Admin Lifts Ban on Controversial Rapid-Fire Gun Triggers

DON'T MISS

PGA Championship Gets Storms and a Late Start

DON'T MISS

Easily Distracted? How to Improve Your Attention Span

DON'T MISS

Bernie Sanders and AOC are Popular With Democrats. Here’s a Timeline of Their Alliance

DON'T MISS

Rescue Saves Fearful Terrier Mix From Euthanasia at Local Shelter

DON'T MISS

9 National Parks With Scenic Bike Trails Perfect for Kids and Parents

DON'T MISS

NASA Office Above ‘Seinfeld’ Diner Is a Target of Trump Budget Shrinkage

DON'T MISS

Big Fresno Fair Announces First Five Shows in Its Concert Lineup

DON'T MISS

Ed Smylie, Who Saved the Apollo 13 Crew With Duct Tape, Dies at 95

DON'T MISS

Moody’s Downgrades US Credit Rating Amid Rising Federal Deficit Concerns

UP NEXT

9 National Parks With Scenic Bike Trails Perfect for Kids and Parents

UP NEXT

US Cable Giants Charter and Cox Pursue $34.5 Billion Merger

UP NEXT

Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks End Without a Ceasefire Deal

UP NEXT

Republicans Reject Trump Tax-Cut Bill After President Calls for Unity

UP NEXT

WNBA Set for New Season With Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Leading the Way

UP NEXT

Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 93 People in Gaza as Trump Wraps up His Middle East Visit

UP NEXT

European Leaders Agree With Trump That Russia’s Position on Ceasefire Talks Is Unacceptable

UP NEXT

Ohtani’s Big Night: Two Homers, Six RBIs Lead Dodgers Past Athletics

UP NEXT

Oakhurst Man Charged for Fresno Stalking, Child Exploitation

UP NEXT

Trump Announces $14.5 Billion Etihad Commitment With Boeing, GE

Bernie Sanders and AOC are Popular With Democrats. Here’s a Timeline of Their Alliance

49 minutes ago

Rescue Saves Fearful Terrier Mix From Euthanasia at Local Shelter

1 hour ago

9 National Parks With Scenic Bike Trails Perfect for Kids and Parents

2 hours ago

NASA Office Above ‘Seinfeld’ Diner Is a Target of Trump Budget Shrinkage

2 hours ago

Big Fresno Fair Announces First Five Shows in Its Concert Lineup

2 hours ago

Ed Smylie, Who Saved the Apollo 13 Crew With Duct Tape, Dies at 95

2 hours ago

Moody’s Downgrades US Credit Rating Amid Rising Federal Deficit Concerns

17 hours ago

Sheriff Says There Are Indications 10 Escapees From New Orleans Jail Had Inside Help

17 hours ago

DHS Asks for 20,000 National Guard Troops for Immigration Roundups

17 hours ago

Two Killed in Fresno County Crash Are Identified

18 hours ago

Trump Admin Lifts Ban on Controversial Rapid-Fire Gun Triggers

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will allow the sale of forced-reset triggers, which make semiautomatic rifles fire more rapidly, with ...

12 minutes ago

12 minutes ago

Trump Admin Lifts Ban on Controversial Rapid-Fire Gun Triggers

18 minutes ago

PGA Championship Gets Storms and a Late Start

21 minutes ago

Easily Distracted? How to Improve Your Attention Span

49 minutes ago

Bernie Sanders and AOC are Popular With Democrats. Here’s a Timeline of Their Alliance

Tuesday, a terrified 14-pound terrier mix rescued from the brink of euthanasia, is now thriving in foster care and slowly learning to trust. (Mell's Mutts)
1 hour ago

Rescue Saves Fearful Terrier Mix From Euthanasia at Local Shelter

2 hours ago

9 National Parks With Scenic Bike Trails Perfect for Kids and Parents

2 hours ago

NASA Office Above ‘Seinfeld’ Diner Is a Target of Trump Budget Shrinkage

2 hours ago

Big Fresno Fair Announces First Five Shows in Its Concert Lineup

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend