Democrats say Trump team fails to protect diplomats in Middle East
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The senators said that they expect the State Department to keep them updated on threats facing US diplomats and ramp up work to evacuate them and their families.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – Congressional Democrats accused the Trump administration of failing to ensure the safety of State Department personnel in the Middle East in the leadup to US and Israeli strikes against Iran.
Despite the American military build-up in the region over several weeks and warnings by US President Donald Trump of possible attacks, the department did not take precautions to protect its employees, Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that was seen by Bloomberg News.
The senators criticised the decision to order departures from only one embassy, in Lebanon, during the week before the war began.
Diplomats in Israel were authorised to leave one day before the first attacks, forcing them to shelter in place because commercial airspace was closed, the lawmakers said.
“Simply put, abrupt decision-making and lack of planning by State Department leadership to ensure the safety and security of its own staff left our personnel and their families unnecessarily at risk,” according to the letter from the senators, including Ms Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.
Congress was also insufficiently briefed, a situation that is “unacceptable,” they said.
The Trump administration has said surprise was a crucial element for the operation that included a strike to kill Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The State Department did not immediately respond on the afternoon of March 5 to a request for comment on the letter.
Asked on March 4 about evacuations from the region, Mr Rubio told reporters that in some cases the ability to get people out had been hampered by airspace closures as a result of the war.
The senators said that they expect the State Department to keep them updated on threats facing US diplomats, ramp up work to evacuate them and their families, and prioritise filling key embassy vacancies.
Yet with Democrats in the minority in the chamber, the actions they can take, besides public advocacy, are limited. BLOOMBERG
