The Ambassdors are not independent agents who are untethered from Washington. They are told for the most part what to say and do by Washington. If they go off the reservation, they are removed. They are the President's personal representatives. I say that advisedly having served 28 years in the State Department as a foreign service officer.
I do thank you for your service sir but there have been stories and scandals for years about the state department and ambassadors under cutting American interests especially during Republican run administrations. Yeah the occaisional ambassador was recalled or some bureaucrat may have been fired and or jailed but the State department for years has had this attitude that they are like a quasi 4th branch of government quite apart from the rest of us! Let the Dems’ set the precedent for reigning them in and may future Republican administrations keep the leashes tight!
After working inside the government for over 20-yrs, and as an international businessman for the past 10-yrs, I can say that perhaps the Ambassador or the DCM may be like you, but it is the FSO’s that do not act in the interest of the US. I have seen it firsthand. At best, the FSOs act like they are the “honest broker†between the US and the host nation. At worse, they actively work for the host nation and derail US policies they deem unworthy of support.