“As President Trump’s first Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson was handed a difficult job which he performed poorly. He presided over an unprecedented evisceration of the State Department, often seemed out of the loop, and was, at best, incidental to the formulation of U.S. foreign policy. The damage caused by Tillerson’s brief, tumultuous tenure will take years to repair, and he will be remembered as another example of President Trump’s poor judgment.

“It is my hope that the next Secretary of State will make it their first priority to restore confidence, morale, and a sense of mission at the State Department. The selfless, competent, and dedicated Foreign Service Officers and civil servants at the Department deserve nothing less.

“Despite Secretary Tillerson’s manifest unfitness for the office he held, I am concerned by the method and timing of his termination, which may have resulted from crossing Trump by holding Russia accountable for attacks on western democracies. President Trump’s decision to fire his Secretary of State via tweet also does not inspire confidence, coming as it does while the White House is still reeling from the departures of his top economic advisor and Communications Director, and from security clearance concerns raised by the Rob Porter debacle.

“The instability which Trump has created in the upper echelons of his Administration is dangerous and jeopardizes major diplomatic and security priorities. I am particularly concerned about the fate of the Iran Nuclear Deal, which President Trump cited as a factor in his decision to fire Tillerson. Ending the deal with Iran could lead to that country’s resumption of its nuclear program, and might also threaten the viability of diplomatic negotiations with North Korea. The President must not go down this road.”

Rep. Beyer served for four years in the State Department under President Barack Obama as the Ambassador to Switzerland and Lichtenstein. Switzerland is the protecting power for diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran.