A copy of Vance’s questionnaire, obtained by The Washington Post and made public for the first time, asks ambassadorial candidates whether they would support increasing the number of “gender-neutral restrooms” at U.S. embassies, increasing resources for “gender dysphoria and transition care” and flying the “progressive flag” during “community pride celebrations.”
“Many of our allies and those with whom we seek to build stronger relationships hold traditional Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu moral values,” Vance wrote in a questionnaire he distributed to all candidates. “If confirmed, how would you explain to them what U.S. promotion of LGBTQ human rights would mean in their countries?”
Vance’s memo and Biden’s tough vetting of ambassadorial nominees reflect his view that cultural elitism is pervasive in the U.S. diplomatic corps and needs to be eradicated through special vetting efforts, said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meetings.
Neither Senator Vance’s office nor the Trump campaign responded to requests for comment on the matter.
For many conservatives, Vance’s oversight was a welcome response to long-standing concerns within the Republican Party that the United States was promoting left-wing social values at the expense of its own interests, alienating more conservative partners in regions such as Africa, Latin America and Asia.
Many liberals see the move as an attempt to prioritize Trump’s conservative policies and delay a qualified candidate from taking on a job that is crucial to America’s standing in the world.
For career diplomats, the survey presented a tricky challenge as they tried to appease senators without contradicting President Biden’s assertion that LGBTQ rights are “human rights.”
“Career diplomats find themselves in a bind when they are asked to publicly comment on how they support policies that the current administration supports but that may not be supported by the next administration,” said Barbara Stevenson, a former Panamanian ambassador who served in senior positions under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
“One party may support a climate agreement or DEI, while another party may not,” she added. “These career diplomats are expected to support the administration’s policies, even if it means changing positions they previously held for or against.”
After a year of negotiations between Senator Vance and the State Department, the senator ultimately lifted most of his hold on the bill in April.
During the campaign, Vance withheld more than 30 nominees for Senate-confirmed State Department posts. The withholdings slow the confirmation process, forcing the ruling party to seek individual votes instead of the quicker method of unanimous confirmation. The delays create vacancies at embassies and temporarily fill them with lower-level officials who do not have the same status as the presidential nominee.
Vance, a Midwesterner and best-selling author of the memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” has said the Iraq War played a key role in shaping his worldview. He was in high school when Iraq invaded in 2003 and decided to join the Marines because “I believed the George W. Bush administration’s propaganda that we needed to invade,” he said in an April speech on the Senate floor.
After his deployment, he said he realized the war planners “had lied” and that “the promises of this country’s foreign policy establishment were a complete joke.”
Vance brought his doubts about the system into discussions about the ambassador with Biden’s top aides, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Deputy Secretary of State Naz Durakol, his top adviser to Congress.
None of Mr. Vance’s nominees drew his ire more than Stephanie S. Sullivan, the diplomat he picked to be Mr. Biden’s special envoy to the African Union.
Vance accused Sullivan, a former ambassador to Ghana who oversaw the embassy that flew the Pride flag, of being “woke” and promoting a “progressive social policy” on gender identity.
“Why do we have a diplomatic corps that takes an issue that is hotly debated in the American political context and demands that African countries follow the lead of the far left rather than doing what they believe should be done,” he said in a speech on the Senate floor.
The State Department said Sullivan’s decades-long career as a diplomat was “exemplary” and that Vance’s “unfounded criticism of her work does not accurately reflect her contributions to our country.”
Vance’s liberal critics have questioned his opposition to the U.S. playing a more active international role on LGBTQ issues.
“The United States has a responsibility to uphold human rights around the world, including the freedom for LGBTQ+ people to live and love without fear,” said Brandon Wolf, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign. “Donald Trump and J.D. Vance share the same anti-LGBTQ+ ideology and have made it clear that if they hold the keys to the Oval Office, they would destroy American values on the world stage.”
Vance’s defenders say his efforts will lead to greater success for U.S. diplomacy in the developing world.
“It’s not far-fetched to argue that the ambassador would be professionally suited to focus on the job at hand rather than trying to advance what would be viewed as extremely radical social issues in most of these countries,” said Wade Miller, vice president of the conservative think tank Center for American Renewal. “Vance belongs to the upper echelons of the Republican Party that are talking about these issues and taking them seriously.”
The State Department said the Biden administration would remain committed to “ensuring that all people, everywhere can live in a place of respect and equal rights, free from violence and discrimination.”The White House has vowed to counter Republican anti-Woke efforts, including by repealing a provision in a government spending bill that effectively banned flying the rainbow Pride flag over U.S. embassies.
Politico reported last July that Vance sent the questionnaire to candidates but did not obtain a copy of it and declined to provide it.Unlike other Republican firebrands known for blocking presidential nominations, such as Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Vance’s thorough approach is unique in that he does not sit on the committee that oversees the nomination (in this case, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee).
Though Vance had grown increasingly skeptical of Biden’s nominees, officials said he asked serious questions about the threats and challenges facing each country. He became convinced the administration would not put ideology above national security considerations, and by April he and State Department officials had broken a years-long impasse, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
At that point, Biden had confirmed about 30 nominees, excluding just two: Sullivan and David Kostelancik, Biden’s pick for ambassador to Albania.
Sullivan was confirmed through the Senate’s filibuster process last month. Kostelanczyk is still awaiting confirmation.
