WASHINGTON: US ambassador to Panama John Feeley, a career diplomat and former Marine Corps helicopter pilot, has resigned, telling the State Department he no longer feels able to serve President Donald Trump.
?As a junior foreign service officer, I signed an oath to serve faithfully the president and his administration in an apolitical fashion, even when I might not agree with certain policies,? Feeley said, according to an excerpt of his resignation letter read to Reuters on Friday. ?My instructors made clear that if I believed I could not do that, I would be honor bound to resign. That time has come.?A State Department spokeswoman confirmed Feeley´s departure, saying that he ?has informed the White House, the Department of State, and the Government of Panama of his decision to retire for personal reasons, as of March 9 of this year. ?Under Secretary of State Steve Goldstein said Feeley´s departure was not a response to Trump´s alleged use of the word ?shithole? to describe Haiti and African countries at a meeting on Thursday. Trump denies using the term. Speaking to reporters, Goldstein said that he was aware of Feeley´s planned departure 24 hours in advance, before Trump´s alleged use of the term, and said his understanding was that the ambassador had resigned for ?personal reasons. ??Everyone has a line that they will not cross,? ?Goldstein told reporters.
01-13-2018, 07:23 AM
US ambassador to Panama resigns, says cannot serve Trump
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