US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has moved to tighten control over the State Department, telling senior officials that staff must stay in their lanes and avoid actions that present conflicts of interest, four people familiar with the matter said. Rubio's message, delivered in a meeting last week before the Republican Party's electoral losses on Tuesday, comes as its leading figures attempt to put distance between themselves and an increasingly unpopular Trump administration.
The meeting followed the high-profile resignation of US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle in mid-October after news reports raised concerns that she sold access to Trump administration officials in exchange for money, gifts, and favors. Guilfoyle has called the reports false and in a post on social media said she would defend her reputation.
Rubio told the meeting, which included many of the roughly 24 assistant secretaries of state, that unethical behavior would result in a firing, regardless of how well-connected an official might be, said one of the people. He added that too many officials were making decisions or pushing policy agendas without coordinating and that significant decisions required his signoff or that of Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Soon after the meeting, three of the people said, the State Department's policy chief, Jeremy Lewin, was forced out of his job in part due to concerns that he was working on matters outside his area without proper coordination. Lewin helped dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which oversaw US foreign assistance.
Rubio and others within the State Department leadership were frustrated with his "freelancing" and going against "certain directives from the Secretary," one of the people said. Lewin, who was appointed to his senior role just over 2 months ago, said on social media last month that he had stepped down to return to the private sector.
Rubio's frustrations also included excessive overseas travel by political staff, which has led to a requirement that Rubio's office approve all political travel. The 2028 presidential race began shifting into gear almost immediately after Tuesday's midterm elections delivered control of Congress to the Democrats.
Vice President JD Vance and Republican Senator Ted Cruz offered post-mortems on X that many strategists saw as political vision statements as the campaign season begins. Political analysts note that the internal restructuring within the State Department reflects broader efforts by the Republican leadership to recalibrate their strategies and governance image ahead of future national polls.
The upcoming years are expected to witness significant political realignment as both major parties prepare for the 2028 presidential contest, raising the stakes for diplomatic and domestic policy management alike.