The State Department is pushing back on a CNN opinion piece published last Sunday that accused them of remaining silent on racism under President Trump.
CNN’s piece, “The State Department’s silence on racism is deafening,” was written by David A. Love.
The article began, “In the age of Donald Trump, the US State Department has turned its back on the fight against racism and xenophobia. Even worse, the agency seeks to remove anti-racist language from international documents. The U.S. government has a racism issue, and it is a dangerous problem with international implications.”
It went on to describe specific policies of President Trump that he deemed racist, such as separating families at the border and the “Muslim travel ban.”
The assertion that @StateDept is “racist” is disgusting and false—a brazen attempt to create division for domestic political gain. State is among the most diverse of government agencies, employing a workforce from every part of America and every region of the globe.
— Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) September 16, 2018
In response to the article, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told The Daily Caller, “Since Secretary Pomeo’s arrival five months ago, he has placed incredible emphasis on staffing up the State Department and increasing diversity as well as reinvigorating and restoring the finest diplomatic corps in the world.”
She also tweeted that the State Department “hires and empowers those who represent diversity of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation and opinion to advance U.S. Foreign Policy.”
.@StateDept is dedicated to promoting human rights & dignity through our actions, policies & annual reports, including reports on Human Rights, Trafficking in Persons & Religious Freedom.
— Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) September 17, 2018
Further, the State Department told The Daily Caller that the hiring of foreign service officers has become more diverse under the current administration. During the 2017 fiscal year, there were 473 FSOs hired. Of that number, 21.8 percent were black, 11.4 percent were Hispanic and 47.7 percent were female.
In comparison, back in 2014 under President Obama, there were 679 FSO hires. Of those hires, 8.3 percent were black, 7 percent were Hispanic and 42.6 percent were female.
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