The United States ambassador to Iceland wants to carry a weapon.
Despite being assigned to one of the safest countries in the world, Jeffrey Ross Gunter has been “paranoid” about his safety since arriving in Reykjavik last year, according to a dozen diplomats, government officials, former officials, and familiar individuals. with the situation. As a result, Gunter wanted the State Department to obtain special permission from the Icelandic government for him to have a firearm. He also wanted door-to-door armored vehicle service, and came up with the idea of wearing a “stab-proof vest.”
The State Department declined to say if there is any credible threat to Gunter’s security, but US government officials told CBS News that the ambassador has been repeatedly informed that he is not at extraordinary risk. In any case, the embassy recently put a job listing in Icelandic newspapers looking for full-time local “bodyguards”. Those same officials said they believe security is being increased to allay Gunter’s “irrational” concerns.
“Protection programs for our leadership are standard features at most US facilities around the world,” said a State Department official when asked about the “bodyguard” position. “While the United States government does not comment on specific security measures, our goal worldwide has always been to be proactive with security measures.”
The State Department did not directly address a question about Gunter’s desire to arm himself. Iceland’s foreign ministry declined to say whether the United States ever officially requested permission for the ambassador to have a weapon, adding that “they generally do not comment on the security details of diplomatic missions.” However, local sources in Reykjavik said the request was never made, and three diplomatic sources told CBS news that Gunter was accused of pursuing the self-weapon because it would be perceived as an insult to the host nation.
But other problems persist with the California dermatologist and the Republican donor-turned-diplomat.
Since his nomination in May 2019, Gunter has created an increasingly “unsustainable” working environment at the Embassy in Reykjavik, according to current and former diplomats familiar with the situation. It has already had seven Deputy Chiefs of Mission (DCMs), experienced foreign service officers who traditionally serve in number two jobs. The first deputy trained for over a year and spent months learning Icelandic, only to be barred from entering the post because Gunter reportedly “didn’t like his appearance” at his introductory meeting. The second DCM arrived in Iceland, but it only lasted six months.
After that, Gunter tried to persuade frustrated European Office officials that he didn’t need a DCM and that he could handle the relatively small mission on his own. Unconvinced, they established a rotation system until a suitable candidate could be found.
“In order to ensure continued support to the Reykjavik Embassy while Ambassador Gunter selected a new permanent DCM, the State Department also deployed four experienced foreign service officers to serve short-term details as interim DCM since January 2020 to June 2020. ” The State Department spokesman said when asked about the high turnover. “These temporary task assignments were short in duration by design.”
But Gunter also didn’t get along with substitute agents. According to three people familiar with the situation, the ambassador was once “enraged” because a DCM left snow boots under his own desk in the middle of the Icelandic winter. Sources said he accused others of several baseless infractions, including an attempt to undermine him in Washington and to be an accessory to the “deep state.”
Senior State Department officials are aware of the problems in Iceland, according to current and former agency officials, but have been reluctant to take action against anyone believed to have close ties to the White House. Supervisors have also had a hard time getting Gunter to follow protocol or respect the chain of command. In February, after attending a conference in Washington, Gunter refused to return to Iceland, leaving a temporary deputy in charge on the ground for months, amid a global health crisis.
“Ambassador Gunter had scheduled a personal leave after the Chief of Mission conference,” a State Department spokesman told CBS News when asked about the absence. “His return to Iceland was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
But multiple sources in Washington, Reykjavik and elsewhere said Gunter wanted to work remotely from California and told top officials that he would not return abroad unless Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressly ordered it. Those sources were unclear if Gunter wanted to stay in the US because he was concerned about the virus or had other unspecified security concerns.
More and more high-ranking people tried and failed to get the ambassador to republish. Finally, a State Department official told CBS News that Pompeo had to call Gunter directly. The exchange was described as “courteous” and “friendly”, which the official speculated might have been to avoid angering a potential future political donor. Pompeo is expected to run for office after his term ends, though he has repeatedly denied it.
Having listened from above, Gunter finally returned to Iceland in May. His new DCM, Michelle Yerkin, arrived this month. CBS News attempted to contact Gunter for comment multiple times through the State Department’s press office, the embassy in Reykjavik and directly by email, but received no response.
Icelandic officials declined to comment on specific incidents or characterize their interactions with the US ambassador, but he has become an increasingly controversial figure in his host country. Earlier this week, Gunter sparked widespread anger by referring to COVID-19 as “China’s Invisible Virus.” On twitter. Many Icelanders said the phrase was offensive and ethnocentric.
Gunter is one of several appointed by the Trump administration with little or no experience in foreign policy who now occupies top jobs in American embassies worldwide. Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets and ambassador to the UK, is reportedly under investigation for making inappropriate comments to his staff and trying to get the British Open to move to a Trump resort. In South Africa, Mar-a-Lago handbag designer and frequent visitor Lana Marks fired her DCM and then allegedly tried to promote her son to a high-level position.
“To be fair, this has been a problem in other administrations,” said the Foreign Service career office and three-time ambassador Ronald E. Neumann. “It has not been such a serious or frequent problem.”
Forty-two percent of current American ambassadors are named politicians, according to the American Foreign Service Association. That’s over thirty percent in the Obama administration and thirty-two percent in George W. Bush. But Neumann, who now heads the American Academy of Diplomacy, said the percentage of people designated for political reasons is not as important as making sure they are qualified to do the job.
“Not everything is one thing or another,” he said. “They have designated some competent people, but they have also designated an excessive number of incompetent people who are a disgrace to the nation.”
The State Department did not comment when asked if the Secretary still has confidence in his Ambassador to Iceland.
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