Senior personnel in the Foreign Service are not appointed by anyone. They work hard in the diplomatic corps and have the resume to get promoted into the job. This article is not complete. Not 'several' senior officials have resigned , but 'many' U.S. State Dept. officials have resigned, which is highly unusual, because how can a new Secretary of State find the qualified people for these positions? You can't just appoint a millionaire to look out for the Foreign Service staff around the world.  Imagine being in Hanoi, Moscow, or Beijing today without a qualified boss???