Trump's Appointee Vetting Diplomats For Loyalty To President: FP Report

WASHINGTON, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jun, 2018 ) :A US State Department official, recently appointed by President Donald Trump, is scrutinizing career diplomats and Americans working at international organizations to see if they are loyal to the President, a news report said on Sunday.

Mari Stull, a former lobbyist for food and beverage industry, is secretly reviewing social media pages of State Department staffers to see if they support or oppose the ideologies of President Trump and his political agenda, the online Foreign Policy news magazine reported citing unidentified current and former officials.

Her scrutiny has�made many career officers uncomfortable and, according to the report, at least three senior officials at the bureau were expected to leave. Officials are even sending a word of caution to some Americans working for the United Nations, to avoid traditional social meetings with the State Department's upper management to avoid drawing attention.

Since being appointed in April as a senior adviser to the State Department's Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Stull is "making lists and gathering intel" on diplomats and Americans working for international organizations, a diplomatic source said.

According to the report, Stull has reviewed social media pages of State Department staffers to see if they signed off on policies of former President Barack Obama, although signing off does not mean officials personally supported these policies.

Those being vetted by Stull also include Americans employed by international agencies, including the World Health Organization and the United Nations. She has made inquiries from their colleagues as to when they were hired and by whom, the report said citing officials.

"It remains unclear whether Stull's activities have the backing of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and key policymakers in the White House, or whether she has taken the initiative on her own. But her brief tenure has alarmed colleagues at the State Department," the FP report said.

Those, who are said to be preparing to call it at day at the bureau, include three deputy assistant secretaries of state � Molly Phee, the bureau's principal deputy, Erin Barclay and Nerissa Cook. Some may just move to other bureaus.

Several career diplomats and officials have left their jobs after President Trump took over the charge of the White House after inflicting a stunning defeat on her Democratic rival and former First Lady Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential elections. Those who quit include Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon and US�Ambassador to Panama, John Freely.

President Trump in March fired his own appointee, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, after about a year on the job, and replaced him with former CIA Director Mike Pompeo.