The U.S. ambassador to Panama is stepping down, saying in a resignation letter made public Friday that he can no longer serve in his post under President Trump.
Ambassador John Feeley wrote a letter to the State Department saying that the time had come for him to step down, Reuters reported.
“As a junior foreign service officer, I signed an oath to serve faithfully the president and his administration in an apolitical fashion, even when I might not agree with certain policies,” Mr. Feeley said in the letter, Reuters reported. “My instructors made clear that if I believed I could not do that, I would be honor bound to resign. That time has come.”
A U.S. official said Mr. Feeley submitted his resignation weeks ago and that his departure had nothing to do with the recent controversy surrounding Mr. Trump, who is in hot water for calling some countries “s—hole” places during a closed-door meeting Thursday to discuss immigration.
The State Department confirmed the news to multiple outlets, saying the resignation was due to “personal reasons” and that Mr. Feeley’s last day will be March 9.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.