Politics

UK Ambassador To US Kim Darroch Resigns After Criticizing Trump In Leaked Memos

Getty Images

Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
Font Size:

Kim Darroch, the British ambassador to the U.S., has resigned after a series of leaked memos revealed that he called President Donald Trump “incompetent” and “inept.”

Darroch said in a statement that the leak of the messages, which led to a public spat with Trump, made it “impossible” for him to do his job.

“Since the leak of official documents from this Embassy there has been a great deal of speculation surrounding my position and the duration of my remaining term as ambassador,” Darroch stated. “I want to put an end to that speculation. The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like.”

He continued, “Although my posting is not due to end until the end of this year, I believe in the current circumstances the responsible course is to allow the appointment of a new ambassador.”

The memos, in which Darroch also called the Trump administration “uniquely dysfunctional,” were leaked to the press Sunday. (RELATED: British Ambassador Describes Trump Administration As ‘Clumsy And Inept’ In Leaked Documents)

Trump originally responded to the leak by criticizing U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s work on Brexit, adding, “I do not know the Ambassador, but he is not liked or well thought of within the U.S. We will no longer deal with him.”

The British government attempted to clean up the issue on Monday, with May asserting that Darroch has the right to his “honest, unvarnished assessments” but adding that the leaks “do not reflect the closeness of, and the esteem in which we hold, the relationship.”

However, the president made quite clear the relationship with the ambassador was destroyed, uninviting Darroch to a Monday dinner with the Emir of Qatar and labeling him “wacky” and “very stupid” in tweets Tuesday.