8 of the 9 top jobs at the State Department will sit empty

With all the activity going on so fast and furious at the State Department, it’s hard to keep up. As we type this, it’s just been announced that there’s a live statement available. So, for a minute-by-minute update, we’ve found that one of the best places to go is Twitter—which is ironic, considering that everything started when President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson earlier today by tweet. 

To be more specific, we’ve been following the tweets of Robbie Gramer, a staff reporter for Foreign Policy who covers the beats of diplomacy and national security. Just one string of his tweets sums things up, and gives a sense of the crazed pace of events:

“Here’s a stark statistic for you: After the dust settles today, and before Pompeo is confirmed, 8 of the top 9 jobs at the State Department will sit empty.” 10:15 am

“2/ Tillerson is out, Undersecretary for Political Affairs Tom Shannon is retiring. Goldstein just got fired.” 57 m

“3/Six other top posts sit empty:

– Deputy Sec for Management/Resources – Under Sec for Management – Under Sec for Arms Control & International Security – Under Sec for Civilian Security, Democracy & Human Rights – Under Sec for Economic Growth, Energy & Environment – Counselor” 51 m