Rep. Abigail Spanberger on Wednesday defended former Ambassador Kim Darroch calling President Trump dysfunctional and “inept” in leaked cables, even though it led to the British diplomat’s resignation.
“Diplomats around the world write cables back home to their governments explaining their perspective, their ideas, their thoughts on what’s happening on the ground in the country where they serve. They’re meant to provide guidance to policymakers back in their home country and meant to be their perspective from their cultural world view, from their political perspective,” the Virginia Democrat told CNN’s “New Day.”
“I think the major focus of what we’re seeing with these cables is not some of the personalities at display, but the fact that our partner nation, the U.K., has a top diplomat posted here in the United States that is calling our strategy towards Iran ’incoherent’ and ’chaotic’ — should be worrisome and troublesome to every actor on the world state,” Ms. Spanberger said.
“They’re meant to stay secret. We’re never supposed to know what our partner nation is saying about us, they’re never supposed to know what we’re saying about them, but we have a chance to get a window into their perspective and I think it’s highly troublesome,” she added.
After Mr. Darroch’s unfiltered views leaked, Mr. Trump said he would “no longer deal with” the “wacky ambassador.”
Mr. Darroch resigned as British ambassador Wednesday morning.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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