U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has instructed American diplomatic missions abroad to avoid statements on the fairness of elections held in foreign countries.
As revealed in a memo sent to all U.S. diplomatic missions on July 17, foreign elections will no longer be addressed in official statements or social media posts by the Department, except in cases involving a strong foreign policy justification.
“When it is appropriate to comment on foreign elections, our message should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate, and, […] acknowledging shared foreign policy interests,” the memo states. “Messages should avoid statements about the fairness or integrity of the electoral process, its legitimacy, or democratic values in the respective country,” the document says.
The memo pointed out that any election-related comment or statement must come directly from an official State Department spokesperson or the Secretary himself.
It also contains a reference to a speech delivered on May 13th by U.S. President Donald Trump in which he criticized what he called “Western meddlers,” referring to Western governments interfering in the internal affairs of Middle Eastern countries. Trump asserted that this was no longer Washington’s role and the U.S. would focus on building partnerships instead.
