Secretary of State Marco Rubio faces congressional and legal scrutiny as critics accuse his department of an illegal policy that promotes only staffers who voted for President Donald Trump.
The Washington Sun reported Thursday that the State Department asked some foreign service officers who they voted for in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections. Top department officials made clear that only candidates who voted for President Donald Trump would be eligible for the mid- to upper-level jobs, according to the report.
Candidates were also told that officials would examine their campaign donations and that any donation to Democrats would disqualify them, the Sun reported.
The Sun based its report on six current and former State Department officials. Three of them had spoken directly with people who were asked the questions.
Under the Foreign Service Act, personnel decisions for diplomats must be free from discrimination based on political affiliation.
A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the voting questions, the Sun reported.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Luis Moreno wrote on X, “I came into the Foreign Service under Ronald Reagan, served under every president, even a few months under Donald Trump. NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE, ever asked me who I voted for or doubted my ‘fidelity’ to my country. They don’t want professionals, they want political hacks.”
“In 27 years as a Foreign Service officer, I executed policies of presidents I voted for and presidents I did not vote for. That’s what a nonpartisan service does. This is outrageous, Steven Pifer, a retired Foreign Service officer and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, posted on X.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ), who once worked at the State Department, noted on X that the job of the agency was not "about politics or serving one political party or President."
“This is not the meaning of service and, as a career public servant, it’s incredibly sad to see. … This move is about serving Trump,” Kim said.
Columnist Matthew Yglesias said that the practice amounted to “[n]onstop blatant lawbreaking."
Former Rep. Tom Malinowski, a New Jersey Democrat and onetime diplomat, wrote on X, “Asking career officers how they voted is not just wrong -- it violates the Hatch Act. Those doing it may be investigated by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, fired, and/or fined. There is no statute of limitations -- so the next administration can go after them.” The Hatch Act limits political activity by federal employees.
Jack Miller, a former communications director at the Office of Personnel Management, posted on X,
“The law breaking will continue until there are actual consequences. I cannot emphasize this enough — people need to go to jail," Jack Miller, a former communications director at the Office of Personnel Management, posted on X.
Christopher Clary, an associate professor of political science at the University at Albany, wrote on X,
“Honestly the Hill has to haul Rubio up to testify about this. It’s unacceptable," Christopher Clary, an associate professor of political science at the University at Albany, observed in a post,
Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch and a former federal prosecutor, posted on X that the actions of the State Department were "blatantly illegal."
"Rubio needs to be hauled in front of Congress when we finally get a Congress," he insisted
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the Sun in a statement, “These are critical national security positions and individuals should be chosen for their experience and ability, not their political loyalty. We are working with the House and other relevant committees to thoroughly investigate all such claims.”
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