The Cable
The Cable goes inside the foreign policy machine, from Foggy Bottom to Turtle Bay, the White House to Embassy Row.

Bannon Boasts of Plans to Oust Top State Department Asia Envoy

Who happens to be one of the few career diplomats Tillerson has come to rely on.

By , a diplomacy and national security reporter at Foreign Policy.
great now i have a saved photo of bannon
great now i have a saved photo of bannon

White House chief strategist Steve Bannon rocked Washington Wednesday night with an interview that ran the gamut of political bombshells, from economic war with China to the political knife fights dogging the administration. In the midst of this, Bannon said he wanted to sack a career State Department official close to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

White House chief strategist Steve Bannon rocked Washington Wednesday night with an interview that ran the gamut of political bombshells, from economic war with China to the political knife fights dogging the administration. In the midst of this, Bannon said he wanted to sack a career State Department official close to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Bannon, speaking to the liberal magazine American Prospect in a surprise, off-the-cuff, and potentially accidental interview, boasted of plans to sideline one of Tillerson’s most trusted aides, the current acting envoy for East Asia. “I’m changing out people at East Asian Defense; I’m getting hawks in. I’m getting Susan Thornton [acting head of East Asian and Pacific Affairs] out at State,” Bannon said.

Thornton, a seasoned and nonideological career foreign service officer, has emerged as one of the few officials Tillerson has brought into his inner circle, several State Department sources tell Foreign Policy. Her status in the department has been a source of tension before, with Tillerson reportedly blowing up at White House aides for blocking his plan to make her the permanent assistant secretary of state.

Bannon’s comments shed light on the not-so-secret administration battle over the future of the department. Senior career diplomats worry that the Trump administration is hanging the State Department out to dry as it slashes its budget, pushes through a controversial departmental redesign, and pours money into the military. Money aside, President Donald Trump has yet to appoint scores of senior State Department postings, including key undersecretary and assistant secretary positions, which has left many officials concerned that U.S. diplomacy is withering on the vine.

Bannon’s targeting of Thornton drew private condemnation from current diplomats, who aren’t authorized to comment on such matters publicly, and vocal condemnation from former diplomats.

“Susan is one of the finest diplomats our country has to offer,” said Michael Fuchs, the former deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, who worked closely with Thornton. “The very fact that Steve Bannon would criticize Susan should be a strong validation of Susan’s credentials as a first-rate, nonpartisan public servant.”

“The secretary asked Susan Thornton to lead in a very important role, and he continues to rely on her to lead the State Department’s diplomacy in Asia,” a State Department spokesperson told FP when asked about Bannon’s comments. The spokesperson added that she “continues in her capacity” as acting assistant secretary but declined to comment further.

On Thursday morning, Tillerson made a point to shake Thornton’s hand before a meeting with top Japanese diplomats at the State Department.

Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Robbie Gramer is a diplomacy and national security reporter at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @RobbieGramer

More from Foreign Policy

A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.
A photo illustration shows Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden posing on pedestals atop the bipolar world order, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Russian President Vladamir Putin standing below on a gridded floor.

No, the World Is Not Multipolar

The idea of emerging power centers is popular but wrong—and could lead to serious policy mistakes.

A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.
A view from the cockpit shows backlit control panels and two pilots inside a KC-130J aerial refueler en route from Williamtown to Darwin as the sun sets on the horizon.

America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want

Embedded with U.S. forces in the Pacific, I saw the dilemmas of deterrence firsthand.

The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.
The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on Feb. 4, 2022.

America Can’t Stop China’s Rise

And it should stop trying.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on prior a meeting with European Union leaders in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022.

The Morality of Ukraine’s War Is Very Murky

The ethical calculations are less clear than you might think.