Aides to President-elect Donald Trump have requested that three senior career diplomats responsible for managing the U.S. State Department’s personnel and internal operations resign from their positions, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the situation. This move may indicate significant changes for the diplomatic service.
The Agency Review Team, which is overseeing the transition at the State Department, has asked Dereck Hogan, Marcia Bernicat, and Alaina Teplitz to vacate their roles, the sources reported.
While it is customary for political appointees to resign when a new president assumes office, most career foreign service officers typically remain in their positions across administrations. All three diplomats have served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, including roles as ambassadors.
Trump, who is set to be inaugurated on January 20, has vowed to “clean out the deep state” by dismissing bureaucrats he considers disloyal.
One U.S. official expressed concern, stating, “There’s a little bit of a concern that this might be setting the stage for something worse.”
In response to inquiries, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team commented, “It is entirely appropriate for the transition to seek officials who share President Trump’s vision for putting our nation and America’s working men and women first. We have a lot of failures to fix and that requires a committed team focused on the same goals.”
A spokesperson for the State Department indicated that there are currently no personnel announcements to share. Hogan, Bernicat, and Teplitz did not provide comments when approached for their input.
Trump is expected to pursue a more aggressive foreign policy, pledging to foster peace between Ukraine and Russia while increasing support for Israel. He has also advocated for unconventional initiatives, such as the potential acquisition of Greenland and urging NATO allies to boost their defense expenditures. Experts suggest that a diplomatic team willing to implement his directives without resistance will be crucial for realizing his objectives.
The request for the three officials to resign echoes the staff reorganizations seen during Trump’s first term, when several prominent leaders were dismissed from their roles.
According to two sources familiar with Trump’s intentions for the State Department, the administration aims to appoint a greater number of political appointees to roles like assistant secretary, which are usually occupied by a combination of career and political officials. These sources noted that Trump’s team believes that career diplomats hindered his agenda during his previous term from 2017 to 2021, prompting a desire to embed more politically appointed individuals within the department. The Agency Review Team is already in the process of interviewing candidates for these positions, according to the two sources.
Hogan serves as the executive secretary of the State Department, responsible for overseeing the flow of information between various department bureaus and the White House, as stated on the State Department’s website. Bernicat holds the position of director-general of the U.S. Foreign Service and is in charge of global talent, focusing on the recruitment, assignment, and career development of the department’s personnel.
Assistant Secretary Teplitz has dedicated over thirty years to the Department, with experience both abroad and in Washington. Recently, she has taken on the responsibilities of under secretary for management, which includes oversight of more than a dozen bureaus that handle a range of issues from budgeting to recruitment, procurement, and human resources.
Dennis Jett, a professor at Penn State’s School of International Affairs and a former foreign service officer for 28 years, remarked, “These are not policy positions. This is all the mechanics of the bureaucracy. But if you want to control the bureaucracy, that’s the way you do it.”
The selection of individuals for these three positions would enable Trump’s administration to reallocate resources within the State Department, manage the information flow from various bureaus and embassies, and influence personnel decisions.
“SHATTER THE DEEP STATE”
The call for these officials to resign coincided with Marco Rubio’s testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding his nomination as secretary of state. On his campaign website, Trump outlined a ten-step plan to “shatter the deep state” and “fire rogue bureaucrats and career politicians.”
The initial step involves reinstating a 2020 executive order aimed at eliminating employment protections for specific civil servants, thereby facilitating their dismissal. Critics of this initiative, commonly referred to as “Schedule F” due to the new category of civil servants it would establish, argue that removing these protections would enable Trump to politicize the federal workforce to advance his policy objectives.
Typically, presidents have the authority to select several thousand political appointees within the federal bureaucracy, while the career civil service, comprising approximately two million employees, remains untouched.
The implementation of Schedule F would empower Trump to terminate up to 50,000 of these employees and replace them with individuals who share his conservative views. According to Jett, a professor, taking control of the State Department’s personnel would “expedite” the appointment of loyal officials. Unions and government oversight organizations have indicated their intention to file a lawsuit against Trump should he proceed with his plan to re-establish Schedule F.
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