Following the November 8 elections and before Rex T-Rex" Tillersons pick as the new secretary of state on December 13 2016 representatives of Trumps Transition Team arrived at the Department of State to support preparations for the transition (according to address C 2016_11_124 of November 21 2016).
The Transition Team was headed by Ambassador Charles L. Glazer and Erin Walsh.
Charles Glazer was sworn in as US Ambassador to El Salvador by President George W. Bush on January 16 2007 but he resigned on January 20 2009 upon receipt of an Obamas order requiring the departure of politically appointed ambassadors by noon on that date. Earlier on in 2004 he served as a Republican national committeeman for Connecticut and a President Bush Jr. appointee of the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Recently he served as a Connecticut finance co-chair for the Donald Trump campaign together with Connecticut delegate Kevin Moynihan.
Erin Walsh also a member of the transition team served previously as Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State and since 2010 has joined Goldman Sachs and serves as Executive Director and Head of the Office of Corporate Engagement for Asia Pacific.
The Transition Team was assisted by an Executive Secretariat team to ensure they receive information and logistical support from the Department to include security clearances legal issues human resources and information management. Communication with the Transition Team was directed and managed by the Executive Secretariat Staff (the Line). The Transition Team made requests for information through the Line and Bureaus and Offices were tasked to provide information as needed back through the Line.
Likewise the Line managed the scheduling of meetings and other conversations between members of the Transition Team and Department employees. This ensured that the Department and members of the Transition Team complied with applicable law and policies including security and non-disclosure requirements and that requests for information were tasked to the appropriate Department offices.
There were meetings and other conversations" between the Transition Team members and the Department of State employees and contractors.
Massive departures of federal employees occurred before and after the presidential inauguration of January 20 2017.
On November 18 2016 Trump announced the first wave of agency landing teams for the Department of Defense Department of State Department of Justice and National Security Council.
On the very same day Under Secretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy on behalf of Secretary of State John F. Kerry honored over 300 Department of State retirees during the 2016 Retirement Ceremony (according to address HR/EX 2016_11_116 of November 17 2016).
Other conversation topics included: renewal (or not) of the two-year term offered to a series of federal employees; freezing or reducing the number of vacancies for federal positions; and cutting some federal benefits that have become a sacred cow for an administration in full process of ossification and fossilization.
The most recent development has been Rex Tillersons firing by President Trump on March 13 2018 due to the lack of chemistry between them on a series of sensitive foreign affairs issues like: the Iran deal North Korea talks Paris Climate agreement and anti-Qatar crusade. Tillerson will keep his cabinet title until the end of March and is planned to be replaced by the more hawkish CIA Director Mike Pompeo if confirmed by the Senate. With this recent move it is anticipated a major shift in the U.S. foreign policy.
NOTE - A version of the article was published previously in AMERICAN THINKER.
Tiberiu Dianu has published several books and a host of articles in law politics and post-communist societies. He currently lives and works in Washington DC and can be followed on MEDIUM.
*****
Following the November 8 elections and before Rex T-Rex" Tillersons pick as the new secretary of state on December 13 2016 representatives of Trumps Transition Team arrived at the Department of State to support preparations for the transition (according to address C 2016_11_124 of November 21 2016).
The Transition Team was headed by Ambassador Charles L. Glazer and Erin Walsh.
Charles Glazer was sworn in as US Ambassador to El Salvador by President George W. Bush on January 16 2007 but he resigned on January 20 2009 upon receipt of an Obamas order requiring the departure of politically appointed ambassadors by noon on that date. Earlier on in 2004 he served as a Republican national committeeman for Connecticut and a President Bush Jr. appointee of the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Recently he served as a Connecticut finance co-chair for the Donald Trump campaign together with Connecticut delegate Kevin Moynihan.
Erin Walsh also a member of the transition team served previously as Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State and since 2010 has joined Goldman Sachs and serves as Executive Director and Head of the Office of Corporate Engagement for Asia Pacific.
The Transition Team was assisted by an Executive Secretariat team to ensure they receive information and logistical support from the Department to include security clearances legal issues human resources and information management. Communication with the Transition Team was directed and managed by the Executive Secretariat Staff (the Line). The Transition Team made requests for information through the Line and Bureaus and Offices were tasked to provide information as needed back through the Line.
Likewise the Line managed the scheduling of meetings and other conversations between members of the Transition Team and Department employees. This ensured that the Department and members of the Transition Team complied with applicable law and policies including security and non-disclosure requirements and that requests for information were tasked to the appropriate Department offices.
There were meetings and other conversations" between the Transition Team members and the Department of State employees and contractors.
Massive departures of federal employees occurred before and after the presidential inauguration of January 20 2017.
On November 18 2016 Trump announced the first wave of agency landing teams for the Department of Defense Department of State Department of Justice and National Security Council.
On the very same day Under Secretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy on behalf of Secretary of State John F. Kerry honored over 300 Department of State retirees during the 2016 Retirement Ceremony (according to address HR/EX 2016_11_116 of November 17 2016).
Other conversation topics included: renewal (or not) of the two-year term offered to a series of federal employees; freezing or reducing the number of vacancies for federal positions; and cutting some federal benefits that have become a sacred cow for an administration in full process of ossification and fossilization.
The most recent development has been Rex Tillersons firing by President Trump on March 13 2018 due to the lack of chemistry between them on a series of sensitive foreign affairs issues like: the Iran deal North Korea talks Paris Climate agreement and anti-Qatar crusade. Tillerson will keep his cabinet title until the end of March and is planned to be replaced by the more hawkish CIA Director Mike Pompeo if confirmed by the Senate. With this recent move it is anticipated a major shift in the U.S. foreign policy.
NOTE - A version of the article was published previously in AMERICAN THINKER.
Tiberiu Dianu has published several books and a host of articles in law politics and post-communist societies. He currently lives and works in Washington DC and can be followed on MEDIUM.
*****