John Feeley, the U.S. Ambassador to Panama, said he is resigning effective Mar. 9 from his position in the Trump administration. In his letter to the U.S. Department of State, Feeley said his decision was due to “personal reasons” and discussed the requirement of the position to serve the president and his policies.
“As a junior foreign service officer, I signed an oath to serve faithfully the President and his administration in an apolitical fashion, even when I might not agree with certain policies,” Feeley said in his letter of resignation.
“My instructors made clear that if I believed I could not do that, I would be honor-bound to resign. That time has come.”
TT @statedeptspox: El embajador John Feeley envió una carta de renuncia el 27 de diciembre informando a la administración su decisión de retirarse por razones personales desde el 9 de marzo. El embajador no renunció por supuestos comentarios sobre el sistema de lotería de visas. https://t.co/NaJvu30PCH
— U.S. Embassy Panama (@USEmbPAN) January 12, 2018
An official from the Department of State confirmed Feeley’s letter of resignation.
Though informing the Department of State on Dec. 27, 2017, the publication of Feeley’s resignation coincides with the surfacing of President Trump’s vulgar comments during a meeting about immigration, in which he referred to Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as “sh*thole countries.”
Several politicians, activists and social media users have responded critically, calling for the administration to take action and for Trump to publicly address his comments.
https://twitter.com/RepMiaLove/status/951603160254238720
I’m a future News Editor.
I’m a Journalism & Media Studies Postgraduate Student.
I have 3 degrees.
I speak 6 languages.
I‘m a 2018 Hazelhurst Fellow.
I’m a Postgraduate Merit Award holder.
I’m from a #ShitHole country ?? pic.twitter.com/DYadcLXNxI— Takalani Sioga ?️? (@TakalaniSioga) January 12, 2018
Feeley took up his current position in 2016, while former President Barack Obama was in office, continuing his duties as the administration shifted with the inauguration of Trump last January. He is one of many who have left the Trump administration amidst controversial government actions in the last year, either due to resignation or the administration’s dismissal.
