By now you’ve probably heard about Jared Kushner meeting with officials in Mexico and not inviting the U.S. ambassador, Roberta Jacobson. “This is not the way foreign policy normally is, or should be conducted,” says an expert quoted by the New York Times:
Beyond that, Mr. Kushner, who also met with Mexico’s foreign minister, did not invite the American ambassador — Roberta S. Jacobson, a diplomat with more than 30 years of experience in the region — to join him in the meetings, according to a senior American official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
“This is not the way foreign policy normally is, or should be, conducted,” said Christopher Sabatini, a lecturer at Columbia University. “The sending of the president’s son-in-law — someone with no experience in Mexican-U.S. relations — is another example of the de-professionalization and personalization of diplomacy that will hurt U.S. interests and leverage in the region.”
Libs were quick to jump on the story. Rep. Ted Lieu from California:
Today is Thursday. That means we all need to ask again: Why is Jared Kushner still a Senior White House Advisor?
Also, what did he want to hide from the US Ambassador to Mexico? https://t.co/A0atCw8f2f
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 8, 2018
Former Obama State Department spox John Kirby:
Kushner “did not invite the American ambassador — Roberta S. Jacobson, a diplomat with more than 30 years of experience in the region — to join him in the meetings.”
Diplomatic malpractice, worse given Kushner’s inexperience & security clearance probs. https://t.co/2e11OnysBi
— John Kirby (@johnfkirby63) March 8, 2018
And we can’t leave out Hollywood’s take:
Outrageous & bewildering that Jared Kushner did not invite the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico to his meetings with Mexico’s president and top officials https://t.co/rvMwEhuMTj
— Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) March 8, 2018
Yes … Jared Kushner didn’t invite the U.S. ambassador to Mexico to the meeting, but would it kill these folks to at least mention in passing that she’s already resigned?
JUST IN: U.S. ambassador to Mexico is resigning her post this spring, saying she will leave "in search of other opportunities;" move comes amid strained relations between the two countries.
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 1, 2018
And it’s not like Kushner showed up at the meeting solo. He attended with “retired CIA analyst and Mexico expert” Kimberly Breier who has been nominated as Assistant Secretary of the State Department’s bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs:
Typical misleading/slanted reporting. Yes, the outgoing Ambassador was not at the meeting in Mexico. She was an Obama appointee and is leaving the job. Kimberly Breier, nominated to be assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere, was there. State Department was well represented. https://t.co/gld4UVSzfT
— Boris Epshteyn (@BorisEP) March 8, 2018
More on Breier who is quite qualified for the position:
Breier, who currently handles State Department policy planning in the Western Hemisphere, has worked nearly two decades on regional affairs, including more than a decade in the U.S. intelligence community. She also served on President George Bush’s National Security Council Staff in the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs. Prior to joining the Trump administration, Breier served as director of the U.S.-Mexico Futures Initiative for the Center for Strategic International Studies think tank.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, Jared flew commercial:
Per Mexican media: Jared Kushner flew commercial for his meetings in MX City yesterday. He was aboard red-eye Flight AM622 from IAD to MEX, came back aboard AM623. No readout from WH on Kushner’s trip yet
* Red-eye flight in MX Spanish = “vuelo tecolotero” as in “owl’s flight”
— José Díaz-Briseño (@diazbriseno) March 8, 2018
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