The active US ambassador to China resigned in protest this past week after Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Climate Accord.
Ambassador David Rank had about a week left before former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad takes over the post.
Branstad was approved 82-13 by the US Senate and resigned as governor in late May.
Rank “resigned” a few days early so he could make headlines in media outlets who will not report that his days were numbered anyway.
The Hill reported:
The acting U.S. ambassador to China, David Rank, has reportedly resigned from his post over President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement, according to a new report.
CNN reports that several sources familiar with the matter say Rank’s decision was directly tied to Trump’s decision to remove the U.S. from the accord, though his replacement in Beijing has already been approved by the Senate.
“Mr. Rank made a personal decision,” a senior State Department official told CNN. “We appreciate his years of dedicated service to the State Department.”
Rank has served as the deputy chief of mission at the embassy since January 2016 and had assumed the acting ambassador role until Trump’s choice for ambassador, former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R), officially takes over. Rank has served in the foreign service since 1990, working in the Office of Afghanistan Affairs and the Office of Korean Affairs and serving in Taipei, Shanghai, Athens and Mauritius.
