Calls grow in Germany for expulsion of disputed United States envoy
- by Jerome Frank
- in World News
- — Jun 6, 2018
Meanwhile, Grenell has also, since the interview, invited Austria's chancellor Sebastian Kurz, whose government is in coalition with the right-wing populist FPO party, to dine together next week.
"There is a groundswell of conservative policies that are taking hold because of the failed policies of the left".
Richard Grenell, the new USA ambassador to Germany, has been in the job for less than a month, but he has already effectively declared that he's willing to obliterate the diplomat line by directly meddling in national and European politics.
Germany's coordinator for trans-Atlantic affairs, Peter Beyer, said he was looking forward to meeting Grenell on Wednesday. "In challenging times like these, the US and Europe need to firmly stand together to defend common values and interests".
In the same interview, he described himself as a big fan of Kurz, the head of the conservative People's Party and who shares power with the far-right Freedom Party in Vienna.
Merkel declined to comment on Kurz's planned visit to the USA embassy during his June 12 visit to Berlin.
On Monday, the former Fox News contributor further strayed beyond his ambassadorial remit by requesting a short meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu at Berlin's airport following the Israeli prime minister's meeting with Angela Merkel.
The only openly gay ambassador appointed by Donald Trump is facing calls to be sacked - after he said he would work to "empower" conservatives across Europe. "I wouldn't draw any great meaning into that".
"As Vox's Zach Beauchamp observes, the remarks "[suggest] that Grenell views his job not merely as representing America's policies to the German government but also working to actually strengthen German-and other European-factions that he and the Trump administration approve".
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"Clearly the US ambassador sees himself as an extension of a right-wing conservative world movement", he told Reuters.
Diplomats are generally expected to avoid partisan politics as be seen as neutral, amicable representatives of a foreign country.
"I stand by my comments that we are experiencing an awakening from the silent - those who reject the elites & their bubble".
The appointment of Grenell, a hawkish supporter of Trump's "America First" stance, was long held up by United States senators who objected to his allegedly disparaging tweets on female politicians and apparent refusal to take seriously claims of Russian meddling in the USA election.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy tweeted that the envoy's interview with Breitbart was "awful - ambassadors aren't supposed to "empower" any political party overseas".
On Monday, Grenell sought to walk back his comments, though only up to a point.
He defended his remarks on Twitter, saying he stands by his comments and that any idea he would endorse candidates or parties "is ridiculous".
Before he was confirmed by the Senate, Grenell - a hyper-partisan Republican activist whose farewell party in NY was attended by Donald Trump, Jr., Bill O'Reilly, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Wayne Newton and a half-dozen Fox News personalities - had promised to stay out of German politics.
