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Thread: State Dept. carries out layoffs under Rex Tillerson

  1. #1

    State Dept. carries out layoffs under Rex Tillerson

    While Rex Tillerson is on his first overseas trip as Secretary of State, his aides laid off staff at the State Department on Thursday.

    Much of seventh-floor staff, who work for the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and the Counselor offices, were told today that their services were no longer needed.

    These staffers in particular are often the conduit between the secretary’s office to the country bureaus, where the regional expertise is centered. Inside the State Department, some officials fear that this is a politically-minded purge that cuts out much-needed expertise from the policy-making, rather than simply reorganizing the bureaucracy.

    There are clear signals being sent that many key foreign policy portfolios will be controlled directly by the White House, rather than through the professional diplomats.

    Not a single State Department official was included in the White House meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner - who has no regional expertise or diplomatic experience - had a greater role in the meeting than the Senate-confirmed secretary of State.

    Watch: Pres. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister hold press conference
    Play VIDEO
    Watch: Pres. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister hold press conference
    Rex Tillerson was absent Wednesday but did join Kushner and Netanyahu for dinner the night before. Acting Deputy Secretary of State Tom Shannon was on the official schedule to take his place but was then shut out of the White House meeting.

    In an emailed statement to CBS News, a State Department official explained that the decision to modify the meeting was made at the White House to “allow for a more personal discussion.” That presumably is a reference to the long-standing friendship between Trump, Kushner, and Netanyahu.
    More....http://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-de...g-carried-out/



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  3. #2
    I highly doubt that Tillerson felt snubbed with the Netanyahu visit.

  4. #3
    There are clear signals being sent that many key foreign policy portfolios will be controlled directly by the White House, rather than through the professional diplomats.
    The tears of "professional diplomats" taste sweet.

  5. #4
    Jan2017
    Member

    Much of seventh-floor staff, who work for the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and the Counselor offices,
    were told today that their services were no longer needed.
    I see a SNL skit here . . . Goodbye 7th Floor.

  6. #5
    Much of seventh-floor staff, who work for the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and the Counselor offices, were told today that their services were no longer needed.
    Well that's a damn good start on the 7th floor........

    How many floors are there?

    And why only fire part of the 7th?

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Schifference View Post
    I highly doubt that Tillerson felt snubbed with the Netanyahu visit.
    He wasn't scheduled to meet 'n greet. It was the Asst. Deputy. Rex had dinner with them the night before.

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by phill4paul View Post
    He wasn't scheduled to meet 'n greet. It was the Asst. Deputy. Rex had dinner with them the night before.
    Yes I read that. But, a snub of your assistant would be a snub upon yourself. Tillerson was okay with what happened.

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by specsaregood View Post
    The tears of "professional diplomats" taste sweet.
    Right? One of the few legitimate functions of the Executive Office is diplomacy with other sovereign nations.



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  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    Right? One of the few legitimate functions of the Executive Office is diplomacy with other sovereign nations.
    Ummmm,

    Wouldn't said "diplomats" be residual from other administrations?

    If there're going to be foreign diplomats spreading this countries wealth arbitrarily around the globe does there need to be 7 floors worth?

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    If there're going to be foreign diplomats spreading this countries wealth arbitrarily around the globe does there need to be 7 floors worth?
    No. End all foreign welfare. We also don't need 7 floors in the Department of Commerce. End all corporate welfare. We don't need 7 floors to brainwash children. End all Department of Education programs
    Lifetime member of more than 1 national gun organization and the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance. Part of Young Americans for Liberty and Campaign for Liberty. Free State Project participant and multi-year Free Talk Live AMPlifier.

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Keith and stuff View Post
    No. End all foreign welfare. We also don't need 7 floors in the Department of Commerce. End all corporate welfare. We don't need 7 floors to brainwash children. End all Department of Education programs
    I'm with ya'!

  14. #12
    7th floor group

    https://wikispooks.com/wiki/7th_floor_group

    The 7th Floor Group is a group of top US State Department officials who as of 2016 meet regularly on the 7th floor of the Harry S. Truman Building in Washington, DC, referred to by the FBI as a "shadow government" inside the State Department.

    Exposure

    The group was exposed on 17 October 2016 by a reference in an FBI investigation report arising from the Hillary Clinton email controversy. Interest has been heightened by the fact that FBI documents refer to it as a "shadow government" inside the US State Department. As of November 2016, only one other reference to the group is known in the public record, an email by Roberta S. Jacobson to her " 7th floor colleagues."

    Activities

    The 7th Floor Group meets on Wednesdays, and discusses FOIA requests and the Congressional record in order to contain particularly sensitive information, and how best to release other information.
    Facilities

    The Secretary's suite was a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility which also had a DSS security detachment outside of the office.

    Attendance

    Meetings are attended by the Secretary of State John Kerry, Deputy Chief of Staff Jennifer Stout, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Kennedy, Assistant Secretary Julia Frifield, and unnamed members of the Office of the Legal Adviser.
    Hillary Clinton is not known to attend the meetings, but this is a reasonable inference from the fact that some names were redacted from the FBI document, and the fact that her office was also located on the 7th Floor of the US State Department Headquarters, where she is known to have met with her top advisers, including Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills.

  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by tod evans View Post
    Ummmm,

    Wouldn't said "diplomats" be residual from other administrations?

    If there're going to be foreign diplomats spreading this countries wealth arbitrarily around the globe does there need to be 7 floors worth?
    No. While he's hanging around waiting to veto legislation, he can take phone calls. One guy. That's all ya need.

  16. #14
    Report where FBI referes to the 7th Floor group (shadow government)

    New FBI release on Clinton email probe refers to 'Shadow Government'
    Everett Rosenfeld | @Ev_Rosenfeld
    Monday, 17 Oct 2016 | 12:19 PM ET

    http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/17/fbi-r...ail-probe.html

  17. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by PatriotOne View Post
    Report where FBI referes to the 7th Floor group (shadow government)

    New FBI release on Clinton email probe refers to 'Shadow Government'
    Everett Rosenfeld | @Ev_Rosenfeld
    Monday, 17 Oct 2016 | 12:19 PM ET

    http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/17/fbi-r...ail-probe.html
    *Squirt!*

    For the Republic! For the Cause!
    The Truth About Central Banking and Business Cycles
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaxIPPMR3fI#t=186

  18. #16
    Posting to prevent need for CNBC revenue.

    New FBI release on Clinton email probe refers to 'Shadow Government'
    Everett Rosenfeld | @Ev_Rosenfeld
    Monday, 17 Oct 2016 | 12:19 PM ET
    CNBC.com

    Democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton listens to a question during the town hall debate at Washington University on October 9, 2016 in St Louis, Missouri. FBI releases trove of Clinton documents
    Monday, 17 Oct 2016 | 1:32 PM ET | 00:52

    A new trove of interview summaries and notes from the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails lays out a series of allegations that could prove fodder for future attacks on the Democratic presidential nominee.

    The 100 pages, released Monday morning, include claims that Clinton "blatantly" disregarded protocol. Other claims include that a group of powerful State Department employees attempted to coordinate a document release, and that a department official asked for a "quid pro quo" related to the former secretary of state's emails.

    The documents, part four of four to be released by the FBI, include notes and interview summaries that may illuminate more about the bureau's decision not to recommend Clinton be prosecuted for her actions.

    Many Republicans have criticized that decision, but FBI Director James Comey has repeatedly insisted the move was apolitical.

    "I want the American people to know we really did this the right way. You can disagree with us, but you cannot fairly say we did it in any kind of political way," Comey said in July. "We don't carry water for anybody. We were trying to do what the right thing is."

    One revelation in the documents came from an interview with an unidentified person who suggested that Freedom of Information Act requests related to Clinton went through a group sometimes called "the Shadow Government."

    "There was a powerful group of very high-ranking STATE officials that some referred to as 'The 7th Floor Group' or 'The Shadow Government.' This group met every Wednesday afternoon to discuss the FOIA process, Congressional records, and everything CLINTON-related to FOIA/Congressional inquiries," the FBI's interview summary said.

    That group, according to the summary, argued for a Clinton document release to be conducted all at once "for coordination purposes" instead of on a rolling basis as would normally be the case. But the "Shadow Government" did not get its way, and the agency in charge decided for a rolling release, the FBI summary said.

    Another claim from the documents is that one unidentified interviewee said Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy pressured the FBI to unclassify certain emails from Clinton's private server that were previously deemed classified.

    The interviewee said Kennedy contacted the FBI to ask for the change in classification in "exchange for a 'quid pro quo.'"

    A representative for the State Department categorically denied that claim.

    "This allegation is inaccurate and does not align with the facts. To be clear: the State Department did upgrade the document at the request of the FBI when we released it back in May 2015," State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said.
    "Under Secretary Kennedy sought to understand the FBI's process for withholding certain information from public release," Toner added. "As has been reported, there have been discussions within the interagency on issues of classification. Classification is an art, not a science, and individuals with classification authority sometimes have different views. There can be applicable FOIA exemptions that are based on both classified and unclassified rules."

    The FBI also denied such a "quid pro quo," offering NBC News the following statement:

    "Prior to the initiation of the FBI's investigation of former Secretary Clinton's personal email server, the FBI was asked to review and make classification determinations on FBI emails and information which were being produced by the State Department pursuant to FOIA. The FBI determined that one such email was classified at the Secret level. A senior State Department official requested the FBI re-review that email to determine whether it was in fact classified or whether it might be protected from release under a different FOIA exemption. A now-retired FBI official, who was not part of the subsequent Clinton investigation, told the State Department official that they would look into the matter. Having been previously unsuccessful in attempts to speak with the senior State official, during the same conversation, the FBI official asked the State Department official if they would address a pending, unaddressed FBI request for space for additional FBI employees assigned abroad. Following the call, the FBI official consulted with a senior FBI executive responsible for determining the classification of the material and determined the email was in fact appropriately classified at the Secret level. The FBI official subsequently told the senior State official that the email was appropriately classified at the Secret level and that the FBI would not change the classification of the email. The classification of the email was not changed, and it remains classified today. Although there was never a quid pro quo, these allegations were nonetheless referred to the appropriate officials for review."
    Separately, one claim from the FBI documents that was receiving attention online was that one interviewee said there was a "stark difference" between Clinton's "obedience to security and diplomatic protocols" and that of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Clinton, the interviewee said, "blatantly" disregarded such protocols, including her frequent refusal to attend foreign diplomatic functions with the local ambassador.

    "This frequently resulted in complaints by ambassadors who were insulted and embarrassed by this breach of protocol," the interview summary said, adding that the subject claimed that "Clinton's protocol breaches were well known throughout Diplomatic Security and were 'abundant.'"
    —NBC News and Reuters contributed to this report.


    Everett Rosenfeld
    Asia Pacific Editor
    For the Republic! For the Cause!
    The Truth About Central Banking and Business Cycles
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaxIPPMR3fI#t=186



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  20. #17
    +1 for Tillerson.
    #NashvilleStrong

    “I’m a doctor. That’s a baby.”~~~Dr. Manny Sethi

  21. #18

  22. #19
    Less diplomats for more enforcers:


    https://twitter.com/worldstories/sta...29539159564288
    “I don’t think that there will be any curtailing of Donald Trump as president,” he said. "He controls the media, he controls the sentiment [and] he controls everybody. He’s the one who will resort to executive orders more so than [President] Obama ever used them." - Ron Paul

  23. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by CPUd View Post
    Less diplomats for more enforcers:


    https://twitter.com/worldstories/sta...29539159564288
    via the Baltimore Sun

    'When you walk through the garden....
    You gotta watch your back....
    Well, I beg your pardon....
    Walk the straight and narrow track....'





    Last edited by goldenequity; 02-17-2017 at 07:50 PM.

  24. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by CPUd View Post
    Less diplomats for more enforcers:


    https://twitter.com/worldstories/sta...29539159564288
    That's just plain weak CPUd.
    "The Patriarch"

  25. #22
    not untrue though
    “I don’t think that there will be any curtailing of Donald Trump as president,” he said. "He controls the media, he controls the sentiment [and] he controls everybody. He’s the one who will resort to executive orders more so than [President] Obama ever used them." - Ron Paul

  26. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by CPUd View Post
    not untrue though
    She being protected from left wing loonies, the two subjects have nothing in common.
    "The Patriarch"

  27. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Origanalist View Post
    She being protected from left wing loonies, the two subjects have nothing in common.
    It's just a observation about how this regime deals with problems. Shoot first, ask questions later, maybe.
    “I don’t think that there will be any curtailing of Donald Trump as president,” he said. "He controls the media, he controls the sentiment [and] he controls everybody. He’s the one who will resort to executive orders more so than [President] Obama ever used them." - Ron Paul



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  29. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by CPUd View Post
    It's just a observation about how this regime deals with problems. Shoot first, ask questions later, maybe.
    Have the marshalls shot anybody?
    "The Patriarch"

  30. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Origanalist View Post
    Have the marshalls shot anybody?
    Hopefully not yet
    “I don’t think that there will be any curtailing of Donald Trump as president,” he said. "He controls the media, he controls the sentiment [and] he controls everybody. He’s the one who will resort to executive orders more so than [President] Obama ever used them." - Ron Paul

  31. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Origanalist View Post
    She being protected from left wing loonies, the two subjects have nothing in common.
    Good thing. I saw the video where she couldn't even get into a school. It looked like she had next to zero security. Otherwise all of those folks might would have been arrested. Instead, they rushed her away. It was a WTF moment.
    Lifetime member of more than 1 national gun organization and the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance. Part of Young Americans for Liberty and Campaign for Liberty. Free State Project participant and multi-year Free Talk Live AMPlifier.

  32. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by CPUd View Post
    Less diplomats for more enforcers:


    https://twitter.com/worldstories/sta...29539159564288
    -Rep.
    And THIS Ender is how you can verify for certain that he is a shill.
    This isn't a "different political point of view" this is actively posting against the Liberty movement. Firing of the 7th floor doesn't hurt liberals. It hurts the deep state which actively wants to rob the US citizens of reform candidate success. Such as Republican Ron Paul, or Democrat Dennis Kucinich.
    Last edited by Athan; 02-18-2017 at 11:31 AM.
    For the Republic! For the Cause!
    The Truth About Central Banking and Business Cycles
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaxIPPMR3fI#t=186

  33. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by Jan2017 View Post
    I see a SNL skit here . . . Goodbye 7th Floor.
    One of these new SNL "full production" movie sketches (not done live on the sound stage) featuring CGI effects and so forth? A new production concept introduced solely to contribute to anti-Trump propaganda?

    (Note: I'm out of the loop on SNL. But I had not seen these high production value "mini-Movie" sketches previously. Like these recent Kellyanne Conway lampoons. Can anyone who watches occasionally confirm if this is a new style? Or has it been going on for some time?)
    Last edited by anaconda; 02-18-2017 at 01:50 PM.



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