Exclusive-US diplomats depart Latin America-focused mission amid clashes with Trump ally

By Gram Slattery

WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) – Several senior U.S. diplomats posted to the Organization of American States have quit or been fired amid clashes with a Trump-appointed ambassador, according to six sources familiar with the matter, changes that have cut the institutional expertise available to the historically important U.S. mission.

Founded in 1948, the OAS is the Western Hemisphere’s main multilateral forum and focuses on regional security, human rights, democracy and economic development. The Washington-based body has played a central role in settling contested elections in Latin America in recent years and has often brought together U.S. allies in condemning human rights violations in authoritarian states like Cuba and Nicaragua. 

In recent months, however, the U.S. mission to the OAS has faced significant staff turnover, with the deputy chief of mission, the chief of staff, a senior political counselor and at least one more foreign service officer departing, according to the sources, who were granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters. 

Those individuals comprised a significant chunk of the U.S. mission – which typically hosts just a handful of full-time foreign service officers – and essentially its entire senior staff, the sources said. 

The departures are the latest example of how the Trump administration is reshaping the diplomatic corps, in many cases by sidelining senior career diplomats. 

The changes also underline the administration’s deep skepticism of multilateral institutions even in strategically important regions like Latin America, where it is devoting more attention and resources. 

Some of the departing staff have clashed with the current ambassador, Leandro Rizzuto Jr., a personal friend of U.S. President Donald Trump whose management style has struck many career officials as confrontational and erratic, the sources said. 

In one interaction earlier in the year, for instance, Rizzuto compared staff who shared concerns about the mission directly with State Department leadership to “rats,” two of the sources said.

In an interview with Reuters, Rizzuto pushed back against criticisms of his style, while acknowledging that several senior diplomats recently quit or were fired. He said he is attempting to shift the OAS’ focus from human rights and democracy to economic issues, a change that he says has upset some State Department staff. He did not respond to a follow-up email inquiring specifically about the “rats” comment.

“I’m a business guy, so the bottom line is I want results, and without making it personal, if you can’t do the job, I’d rather you have another job,” Rizzuto said. 

The State Department did not respond to a detailed list of questions. The senior diplomats who were forced out either could not be reached for comment, did not respond to requests for comment or declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

Rizzuto said those who have been fired or who resigned have been succeeded by high-performing replacements.

A FOCUS ON THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

Trump officials have publicly questioned the OAS’ continued relevance, as they have of most multilateral institutions. But they have also suggested the body could make reforms to prove its utility in the 21st century, including by playing a more prominent role in hemispheric security and law enforcement.

Since returning to office, Trump has strongly reasserted the U.S. role in Latin America, most dramatically with a military raid that captured the president of Venezuela and left in place more U.S.-friendly leaders. 

Rizzuto, the billionaire heir to a cosmetics fortune, was nominated to be ambassador to Barbados and two other Caribbean nations during Trump’s 2017-2021 term.

His nomination failed, however, amid revelations that he reposted conspiracy theories on X, including a false claim that Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s wife was part of a secret effort to combine the governments of the U.S., Mexico and Canada. He was instead appointed to the top diplomatic post in Bermuda, a position that does not require Senate approval.

Rizzuto secured an ambassadorial confirmation without significant incident during Trump’s second term and took office late last year.

After securing the post, Rizzuto had a large oil painting of himself placed in the central vestibule of the U.S. mission to the OAS, three of the sources said. Rizzuto did not respond to an email asking about the painting.

In the interview, Rizzuto said he forced out his deputy chief of mission and chief of staff, while his political counselor quit. Rizzuto described himself as “the fairest guy,” adding that he advocated for employees who were giving their all.

The sources pushed back against the suggestion that State Department staff were incompetent or disinterested.

Under the Trump administration, the State Department’s workforce has been radically transformed, which critics say has often been to the detriment of career public servants. Several hundred officers were dismissed in mass layoffs last year, and in December, the administration removed nearly 30 career ambassadors, largely leaving those posts vacant.

(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Don Durfee and Deepa Babington)