Senior diplomat resignations accepted as Trump team enters

[FONT=&quot]WASHINGTON – A number of senior career diplomats are leaving the State Department after the Trump administration accepted their resignations from presidentially appointed positions.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The State Department said Thursday that several senior management officials as well as a top arms control diplomat would be leaving. All had submitted their resignations prior to Donald Trump's January 20 inauguration as is required of officials holding jobs appointed by the president. They were not required to leave the foreign service but chose to retire or resign for personal reasons, the department said.
Among those whose resignations have been accepted are Thomas Countryman, who had been serving as the acting undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. Others include Undersecretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy; two assistant secretaries, Joyce Barr and Michele Bond; and Gentry Smith, who directs the Office of Foreign Missions.[/FONT]

Click to expand...