Ousted U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch spoke at an event at Georgetown on Wednesday about her concern with the current state of affairs at the State Department.

Yovanovitch said, “Right now, the State Department is in trouble. Senior leaders lack policy vision, moral clarity, leadership. The policy process has been replaced by decisions emanating from the top with little discussion, vacancies go unfilled, and our officers are increasingly wondering whether it is safe to express concerns about policies even behind closed doors. It is not news the State is being hollowed out from within at a competitive and complex time on the world stage.”

She added, “We need to re-empower our diplomats to do their jobs. We can’t be afraid to share our expertise or challenge false assumptions. Working off of facts is not a trademark of the deep state, but the deeply committed state … truth matters.”

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