1K State Department Officials Sign Dissent Memo

Spicer says they should 'get with the program' or go
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 1, 2017 1:23 AM CST
Updated Feb 1, 2017 6:34 AM CST
1K State Department Officials Sign Dissent Memo
The Harry S. Truman Building, headquarters for the State Department, is seen in Washington.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

President Trump's refugee and visa ban "runs counter to American values" and "will hurt America economically," according to a dissent memo signed by an unprecedented number of State Department officials. More than 1,000 officials, including American diplomats all over the world, had signed the cable by Tuesday afternoon, reports the New York Times. The memo—which can be seen in full here—is being sent through the Dissent Channel, set up during the Vietnam War as a way for diplomats to register protests without fear of reprisals, though some diplomats still declined to sign the memo because they worried about retribution. Top officials are required to respond to the dissent memo within 30 to 60 days.

Trump's order "stands in opposition to the core American and constitutional values that we, as federal employees, took an oath to uphold," the memo states, warning that the policy will "immediately sour relations" with potential allies and that it's reminiscent of earlier mistakes like the World War II internment of Japanese-Americans, CNN reports. "Decades from now we will look back and realize we made the same mistakes," it states. Reuters reports that White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that he's aware of the memo. He told reporters that Trump has a "very clear vision," and that "career bureaucrats" who have a problem with it "should either get with the program or they should go." (More State Department stories.)

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