A senior Trump official is pointing the finger at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for what they said was an “embarrassing” blunder that led to an unintentional “diplomatic snub,” Axios reported Wednesday.
Top officials from Argentina were dispatched to Washington, D.C. last week after getting the green light from Noem to attend the signing of a new Visa Waiver program; however, due to what two insiders told Axios was a ‘lack of communication,’ they were unexpectedly sent home empty handed.
"Let's just say this was not a great look from us," the senior Trump official told Axios. "It's embarrassing."
The new Visa Waiver program would allow Argentinians to visit the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. The agreement was reached amid growing ties between the two nations, and after Argentina agreed to rollback its use of Chinese technology.
Those Argentina officials, however, were told by DHS that no signing would take place, and ultimately left the United States without the agreement being signed, a mishap that DHS blamed on “missing a signature,” according to “two sources with knowledge of the situation” who spoke with Axios.
Those sources said that in reality, Noem had failed to notify Secretary of State Marco Rubio of the agreement, who upon learning of the impending signing ceremony, issued a pause amid concerns over an Argentinian corruption scandal.
Axios did not receive a response from DHS on the matter, which declined to comment on the mishap, or clarify whose signature was missing. Juan Pazo, the high-level official dispatched to the United States who heads Argentina’s Customs Control and Collection Agency, also declined to comment on the matter, and referred Axios to DHS for further comment.