MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Olson told RIA Novosti the resignations of the Obama administration's political appointees took effect on January 20, the day of President Donald Trump's inauguration.
"For career Foreign Service officers, there this year has been no such directive. As noted on the Embassy's webpage, Ambassador Tefft has been a career Foreign Service Officer for more than 40 years," Olson said.
Such procedure is not newly invented, as every incoming US president recalls ambassadors appointed by the previous administration. Nevertheless, the president usually allows some diplomats to remain in office for several months to solve some personal issues.
This time the conditions are stricter and the demand may leave the United States without envoys in such key countries as Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom, since the appointment of the new ambassadors usually takes a long time. Moreover, this step would seriously affect personal lives of US diplomats, which reportedly were going to appeal to Trump's state secretary nominee Rex Tillerson and other top officials to reconsider the decision.
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