A career State Department official announced her retirement hours after President-elect Donald Trump asked for her resignation and those of two other officials, The Daily Wire has learned.
Marcia Bernicat, the director-general of the U.S. Foreign Service and director of global talent, who has held a top role for many years, sent a farewell message on Thursday announcing her retirement, a source who saw the message said. Bernicat is essentially the top HR person in charge of shaping the State Department’s workforce. She was photographed Friday looking grim as Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the end of his tenure.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Trump asked Bernicat, Dereck Hogan, and Alaina Teplitz to resign — an unusual move, since they are career employees, not political appointees. However, the three occupy key roles that, if held by people who oppose Trump’s mission, could have a cascading effect that neutralizes the commander-in-chief’s ability to control the government agency.
Hogan is the department’s executive secretary, which “manages the flow of information between department bureaus and with the White House,” Reuters said. Teplitz has been with the department for three decades and is Assistant Secretary.
Bernicat’s retirement signals that Trump’s team is heading into its second term with knowledge of the “deep state” actors that it believes are obstructing it, and that some of those are willing to accept defeat and bow out, even before Trump takes office.
The State Department has been notorious for harboring left-wing civil servants, and the fact that even high-level people are not replaceable by incoming administrations highlights Trump’s plan for a “Schedule F,” which would reclassify a larger number of employees involved in policy so they could be more easily removed by a president.
“It is entirely appropriate for the transition to seek officials who share President Trump’s vision for putting our nation and America’s working men and women first. We have a lot of failures to fix and that requires a committed team focused on the same goals,” Trump’s transition team told Reuters.
A State Department spokesman did not return a request from The Daily Wire asking to confirm Bernicat’s retirement and whether the other two have made a decision.
Related: Biden Admin Uses Loophole To Put Kamala Transition Aide In Trump Workforce
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[[{“value”:”
A career State Department official announced her retirement hours after President-elect Donald Trump asked for her resignation and those of two other officials, The Daily Wire has learned.
Marcia Bernicat, the director-general of the U.S. Foreign Service and director of global talent, who has held a top role for many years, sent a farewell message on Thursday announcing her retirement, a source who saw the message said. Bernicat is essentially the top HR person in charge of shaping the State Department’s workforce. She was photographed Friday looking grim as Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the end of his tenure.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Trump asked Bernicat, Dereck Hogan, and Alaina Teplitz to resign — an unusual move, since they are career employees, not political appointees. However, the three occupy key roles that, if held by people who oppose Trump’s mission, could have a cascading effect that neutralizes the commander-in-chief’s ability to control the government agency.
Hogan is the department’s executive secretary, which “manages the flow of information between department bureaus and with the White House,” Reuters said. Teplitz has been with the department for three decades and is Assistant Secretary.
Bernicat’s retirement signals that Trump’s team is heading into its second term with knowledge of the “deep state” actors that it believes are obstructing it, and that some of those are willing to accept defeat and bow out, even before Trump takes office.
The State Department has been notorious for harboring left-wing civil servants, and the fact that even high-level people are not replaceable by incoming administrations highlights Trump’s plan for a “Schedule F,” which would reclassify a larger number of employees involved in policy so they could be more easily removed by a president.
“It is entirely appropriate for the transition to seek officials who share President Trump’s vision for putting our nation and America’s working men and women first. We have a lot of failures to fix and that requires a committed team focused on the same goals,” Trump’s transition team told Reuters.
A State Department spokesman did not return a request from The Daily Wire asking to confirm Bernicat’s retirement and whether the other two have made a decision.
Related: Biden Admin Uses Loophole To Put Kamala Transition Aide In Trump Workforce
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