According to a report from the New York Times, a career diplomat was installed as a deputy secretary of state in December with the specific task of calming the waters in the State Department, which has been in an uproar since Donald Trump appointed the abrasive Mike Pompeo as its head.
The report points out that Stephen E. Biegun was brought in because he can work with Republicans, Democrats and even some of Trump's most fervent supporters, who represent the views of the president more than his party.
As the Times notes, "When Stephen E. Biegun was sworn in as deputy secretary of state, it was in front of an unusual crowd at the State Department — one that included loyalists to President Trump, but also a mix of Never Trumpers and Democrats," adding, "There were career diplomats, congressional officials and national security experts from both parties who had worked with Mr. Biegun in his various roles in the Senate, the National Security Council and Ford Motor."
Asking, "Could he calm a simmering revolt among career State Department employees who have accused Mr. Biegun’s immediate boss, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, of abandoning veteran diplomats and letting the president’s personal political agenda infect foreign policy?" some observers stated that Biegun might be one of the few who can pull it off.
According to Stephen J. Hadley, Mr. Bush’s second national security adviser, "If anyone can figure out how to navigate it, I think it can be Steve.”
"Mr. Biegun has the even temperament of a man who thrives in the background. Never one to upstage the boss, be it the president or secretary of state, Mr. Biegun is mild-mannered and deferential, the anti-Pompeo," the Times Lara Jakes wrote. "While Mr. Pompeo is prone to profanity-laced rants, Mr. Biegun is a Republican of another era who projects calm."
Pointing out that the appointment of Biegen received a thumbs-up from Pompeo, John R. Beyrle -- a former ambassador to Russia under Barack Obama -- said the secretary of state was likely admitting that he needed someone who "... could help ameliorate that almost toxic situation" at State.
“So if there is that vacuum or deficit of trust, which I think there is, Steve is well placed to fill it,” Beyrle said in an interview.
For the moment Biegun has avoided the ire of Trump over his comments about Marie L. Yovanovitch, the former American ambassador in Kyiv, publicly stating that he found her to be“a very capable foreign service officer.,” and that, "my esteem has done nothing but grown for her."
Of note is that fact that Biegun has been the point man for the president's overtures to North Korea, which put him in direct conflict with former national security adviser John Bolton -- with Biegen surviving and Bolton being ousted by the president and poised to expose some of the inner workings of the Oval Office in a forthcoming book.
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