Fear Of Retaliation Grips State Department Lawyers Meant To Advise On International Law
HuffPost
“Imagine being afraid to provide what you think is appropriate legal advice," one former attorney told HuffPost.
A severe and unusual fear of being punished for doing their jobs has spread among staff at the State Department’s legal office, bolstering concerns about how the Trump administration is crafting foreign policy, five former State Department officials told HuffPost.
Lawyers at the Office of the Legal Adviser at State, known as “L,” worry they will face repercussions if they suggest the administration’s plans could break domestic or international law, and suspect they may be evaluated based on their apparent loyalty to President Donald Trump and his political vision, not their expertise and judgment, officials said. They noted that leadership in the office has steadily and atypically become dominated by Trump’s political appointees.
Administrations have not always followed guidance from the lawyers at “L,” but longtime officials said the office has not typically had a culture of self-censorship or consequences for the counsel that staff provide. Three officials who formerly worked there, two until earlier this year, described the shift underway in the office as alarming and notably different even from the first Trump presidency. Some former officials spoke to HuffPost on the condition of anonymity, citing a fear of retaliation.
“Your job is to provide legal advice,” one former State Department lawyer said. “Imagine being afraid to provide what you think is appropriate legal advice.”
“We’ve always had a culture where we speak frankly, challenge things and really push ideas to ensure they’re solidly supported,” another former lawyer told HuffPost. Now, “there’s an underlying fear of … providing advice that wasn’t well-received and then being cut out of a subject, being further and further removed from the job that you spent your career trying to do.”
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