Ohio Sen. and Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance tried to force through nominations of more qualified diplomats because he believed they were too “woke” to do their jobs, a new report has found.
According to the Washington Post, Vance has grilled potential foreign service candidates about their stance on LGBTQ+ rights, representation and DEI hiring practices, and has subjected qualified candidates to “anti-woke” screening before moving forward with their nominations.
“Where, if at all, do you believe it would be inappropriate to ‘celebrate and actively support local and regional pride celebrations?'” Vance’s selection committee questions asked, including whether he supported State Department goals such as supporting gender dysphoria and increasing the number of gender-neutral restrooms.
According to the Washington Post, Vance used screeners to block dozens of hires for key positions in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
J.D. Vance’s stances on abortion and divorce have already hurt the Trump campaign, but his so-called “anti-woke” and anti-LGBTQ+ ideology is widely seen as a losing strategy that only serves to alienate the most extreme wing of the Republican base.
Vance, whose foreign policy skills have been widely criticized, has been accused by diplomats of trying to persuade potential candidates to align with his own political and ideological goals.
“Career diplomats find themselves in a bind when they are asked to publicly comment on how they would support policies that the current administration supports but the next administration may not,” Barbara Stevenson, a former ambassador to Panama, told The Washington Post.
Vance, who once asked on the Senate floor why U.S. embassies flying the Pride flag “brings a hotly debated issue overseas,” lifted some of the holds he imposed in April after extensive consultation with the State Department but permanently blocked at least one nomination.
