Ex-Syria envoy felt Trump was unqualified. Now he’s sad to see administration go – James Jeffrey signed a 2016 letter warning Trump would put national security at risk, but after serving under him, longtime diplomat says president’s policies made the region safer | Timesofisrael

594 sharesNEW YORK — Veteran US diplomat James Jeffrey has served at the pleasure of both Republican and Democratic presidents.He was envoy to Albania and Turkey under George W. Bush and the top diplomat in Iraq under Barack Obama. The two presidents had radically different foreign policy agendas, particularly on the Middle East, with Obama ending the Iraq war that Bush had launched. But Jeffrey, a foreign service officer with over three decades of experience, was trusted by both and made the postings work.