Tom Barrack will demolish Trump’s legacy
President Donald Trump has unapologetically decimated the career Foreign Service in favor of handpicked political appointments and envoys. Many of these individuals are long-term friends and business partners. This is not necessarily bad. Some State Department careerists protest too much when they clutch pearls and speak about how their service was always above politics, while many of the same people regularly leaked to undercut initiatives with which they personally disagree.
TL;DR
- President Trump has favored political appointees over career Foreign Service members.
- Many appointees are personal friends or business partners of the President.
- Tom Barrack is identified as a highly influential aide, serving as ambassador to Turkey and envoy for other Mideast nations.
- Barrack is recognized for reshaping U.S. policy in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East in favor of Turkey.