Rex Tillerson’s State Department slipped further into disarray this week, following the departure of a figure brought in to overhaul the department amid growing tensions within the Trump administration.
Maliz Beams, who was brought on as Counselor to the Department of State in August, resigned her position after only three months, according to officials. The department confirmed Beams’ departure on Monday.
“Beams is stepping away from her role here at the Department of State and is returning to her home in Boston,” a spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. “Effective immediately, [Tillerson’s deputy chief of staff] Christine Ciccone will step in to lead the redesign effort and manage its daily activities.”
Beams’ departure is more bad news for the department, which has suffered a number of exits in recent months. Beams, who has an extensive private sector background in business and finance and previously served as CEO of Voya Financial (formerly ING US), was brought in to lead a massive redesign effort championed by Tillerson. Trump’s budget calls for a $10.1 billion reduction in State Department spending, a controversial move that could cost 2,300 people their jobs. Beams reportedly clashed with Tillerson over the effort.
But don't think that Rex Tillerson does not have a plan for how to deal with world crises with only a skeleton crew, because he does.
The aforementioned "wishful thinking."
Courtesy of The Guardian:
Rex Tillerson said on Tuesday that the Trump administration’s proposal to slash the state department and foreign aid budget is in part based on an expectation it will be able to resolve some of the global conflicts that have been absorbing costly diplomatic and humanitarian support.
But in a vivid display of the most urgent diplomatic challenge facing the US, Tillerson was speaking as North Korea carried out a new ballistic missile test – the first since it fired a missile over Japan in mid-September.
The secretary of state presented this rationale for the budget cut at a time when he is under fire from former US diplomats for gutting his state department amid multiple crises around the world – an allegation Tillerson denied.
I think it is overwhelmingly obvious at this point that Tillerson, like many Trump appointees, was appointed to destroy the very agencies they were supposed to lead.
Tillerson seems particularly adept in that regard.
Of course the problem with that is that it leaves the American people incredibly vulnerable.
All across the board we are suffering a crisis of leadership, and every day the danger to average citizens rises just that much higher.
It will be able to resolve global conflicts? Seems to me that they're only worsening.
ReplyDeleteA faction of Republicans want to “blow it up”. Looks like they are systematically (and quickly) doing that. This is not going to go well.
ReplyDeleteAll the better for the trump Nazis to take over the country.
DeleteTrump called the North Korea guy a 'sick puppy' today. I say that particular name/slander also perfectly fits Trump! He's one screwed up mental mess and so badly needs to be impeached. He's ruining our country!
DeleteEverything Trump says about the North Korea guy can be turned around and slammed back into Trump's face! They are both alike! Mental cases and could care less about what might occur to the folks each represents! It's all ego and idiocy!Do they not realize that both of them will die in a nuclear war along with so many others in both their nations?
DeleteWay O/T but hilarious and sadly true.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO5Gj_jbDb8&sns=em
You are so right, Gryphen. They were brought in to head departments and agencies for the sole purpose of causing mayhem and destruction of good governance in this country. I think that much of the blame for all of this can be attributed to Bannon, who's said that his goal has been to destroy government. Well, we're on our way, folks. He's still very much in the picture albeit not running around the White House now, just around the country, encouraging the worst possible candidates for whatever office is vacant at the moment. The 21st century GOP, brought to us by the billionaires and their lesser pals, the multi-millionaires, is succeeding in bringing our 200+ year history to an end. I have never felt so depressed about our country and our world as I do now.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
CFPB will be next. Mulvaney has put a freeze on hiring so as they start quitting in disgust they won't be replaced. Which is fine with Mulvaney and Trump. They want that department destroyed. All of Trump's appointees were put in place to destroy their departments from within.
ReplyDeleteThe tax cuts for the rich are the first step in the Republican plan. After the tax cuts cause the deficit to explode, Republicans are going to cry about the deficit and move to kill Social Security and Medicare. Privatization or elimination of these programs is what Republicans like Paul Ryan have had in mind for years. The passage of the tax cuts gives Republicans the pretense that they need to attack the social safety net.
DeleteBernie Sanders was 100% on the money. Trump and the Republicans are coming for Social Security and Medicare next, which is why the tax cut for the wealthiest Americans must be stopped dead in its tracks.
http://www.politicususa.com/2017/11/29/bernie-sanders-warns-republicans-coming-kill-social-security-medicare-tax-bill.html
Anon at 1:02 pm. Yes, Bernie Sanders is right. But he's not the first one to recognize what the GOP is after. Here, in Michigan's First Congressional District we've known it for a long time. The latest (and most dangerous) iteration comes from our representative, jack Bergman, who campaigned on wanting to end "freebies" for Americans, the great hated triumvirate: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He says that no one "deserves" anything "free" from the federal government. Of course, he's a retired Marine lieutenant general, so all those "freebies" he and his family have gotten, are getting and will be getting should remain in place. But no one else has done anything worthwhile in his/her lifetime. Bernie is just repeating what so many of us know and have known for many years.
DeleteBeaglemom
Resigned...or pushed out....? Seems obvious to me that it's the latter. Or, how unbearable did Tillerson, et al., make working life for this woman?
ReplyDeleteJust what Putin wants.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, so i see the pre-planned destruction of America is continuing as scheduled. I thought that that suggestion earlier in my life was crazy, FUCK... I was so wrong. I didn't think it would happen by one party while the other sat back and kind of watch the shit happen. Democrats cannot play fair when the other side does not i guess.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think Dems can do when they do not control the WH, Congress, or the Senate? Democrats have no federal power when they do not administrative control government, right?
DeleteShould the GOP put country over party, some of this government destruction would not be happening right now with this current unqualified vengeful POTUS
What can unelected Dems do? VOTE for Dems now through the 2018 elections (local, county, state) and beyond.
Can you do that?
dowl
Anonymous10:00 PM i get that, but short of him FUCKING nuking North Korea, I believe there wont shit be done to stop him. I do believe we are stuck with him, because if he gets to nuke NK which he will they wont remove him then.
DeleteThere is only one conclusion to be drawn from this administrations' actions: Putin is working on destroying our country, and "Benedict Arnold" Trumpf is his tool. We must rise in protest.
ReplyDelete