Rubio seeks to impose order at State as Republicans look ahead to 2028

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has moved to tighten control over the State Department, telling senior officials in a recent meeting that staff must stay in their lanes and avoid efforts that present conflicts of interest, four people familiar with the matter said. Rubio’s message, delivered last week before the Republican Party’s electoral losses this Tuesday, comes as the party’s leading figures attempt to put distance between themselves and an increasingly unpopular Trump administration. The meeting followed the high-profile resignation of US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle in mid-October after news reports raised concerns that she sold access to Trump administration officials in exchange for money, gifts and favors. Guilfoyle has called the reports false and in a post on social media said she would defend her reputation.