Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
Rex Wayne TillersonUS steps up its game in Africa, a continent open for business Matt Drudge shares mock ‘Survivor’ cover suggesting more White House officials will leave this summer 'Daily Show' trolls Trump over Pruitt's resignation MORE has eliminated a key office within the State Department that coordinates foreign sanctions policy, according to a new report.
Former diplomats and congressional sources told Foreign Policy that Tillerson has eliminated the office of the Coordinator for Sanctions Policy as part of his plan to revamp the State Department.
The Policy Planning Office, which previously did not control programs or initiatives at State, will now be responsible for the work done by the Coordinator of Sanctions Policy Office, according to Foreign Policy.
Daniel Fried, who previously served as the coordinator for sanctions policy, said that “you can’t read into that a lack of commitment to sanctions.”
“It’s not as if [the administration] is gutting sanctions altogether,” Fried told Foreign Policy.
The office was created under former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonTrump tweets video montage of people saying he couldn't win presidency Baseless attacks on Robert Mueller must end to protect our democracy Ex-NATO commander: Trump right to demand NATO members pay more for defense MORE to work with the Treasury Department to coordinate sanctions across multiple departments in both agencies.
A former State Department official told Foreign Policy that the move is akin to the State Department saying “we’re just going back to the phone where there’s no clear coordination.”
The move comes after President Trump’s administration missed an Oct. 1 deadline on implementing new sanctions against Russia.
Sens. John McCain
John Sidney McCainAn end game on Supreme Court nominations Supreme Court talk dominates Sunday shows as Trump nears decision Hysteria about the Supreme Court vacancy isn't about abortion — it's about reparations MORE (R-Ariz.) and Ben Cardin
Benjamin (Ben) Louis CardinBiden rallies Dem support for progressive Md. governor candidate Dem lawmakers join nationwide protests against Trump immigration policies 5 people dead in shooting at Annapolis newspaper MORE (D-Md.) slammed the Trump administration for missing the deadline, saying the delay “calls into question the Trump administration’s commitment to the sanctions bill.”
Sen. Bob Corker
Robert (Bob) Phillips CorkerAn end game on Supreme Court nominations America stands to lose as China places bets on developing world The Hill's Morning Report — Sponsored by Better Medicare Alliance — Trump girds for battle as Supreme Court announcement nears MORE (R-Tenn.) said on Thursday the Trump administration is moving forward with the sanctions, with the State Department soon working to identify entities in the Russian intelligence and defense sectors in line for the sanctions.
