State Dept Scales Back Role in Foreign Elections

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday ordered his department to stop publicly commenting on foreign elections unless "there is a clear and compelling U.S. foreign policy interest to do so," reported The Wall Street Journal.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau told The Daily Signal the guidance "provides commonsense clarity to the entire Department that elections-related communications should reflect President Trump's 'America First' foreign policy agenda."

The memo states that "when it is appropriate to comment on a foreign election, our message should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests."

"Messages should avoid opining on the fairness or integrity of an electoral process, its legitimacy, or the democratic values of the country in question," the memo reads.

The State Department in a statement to the Journal said the U.S. "will hold firm to its own democratic values and celebrate those values when other countries choose a similar path."

It added, President Donald Trump "made clear that the United States will pursue partnerships with countries wherever our strategic interests align."

Nicole Widdersheim of the Human Rights Watch nonprofit organization told the news outlet that "stifling the observation and truth at the embassy level will only leave the U.S. government in the dark on the nature of the leadership they are dealing with.

"Lastly, often it is the public in these situations that risk life and limb to speak out against unfair and credible elections, whereas the U.S. Embassy may be the only entity able to shine a light on the bad and unfair processes."

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