Two senior officials appointed by Trump—Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau and Paul Zambelli, a personal friend of Trump and a State Department envoy formerly known as Melania Trump’s former agent who introduced her to Trump—have been locked in a nearly year-long dispute. The conflict centers on disagreements over their respective scopes of authority. Landau accused Zambelli of engaging in unauthorized, potentially illegal activities in commercial and economic domains, warning him to remain within his designated responsibilities in cultural affairs and refrain from overreach, which could lead to disciplinary action and legal liability. In response, Zambelli defended himself, alleging that Landau was personally targeting him “trying to sabotage everything I do,” and asserted that his “primary employer is the President of the United States,” claiming he received directives “from the White House, the Commerce Department, and the War Department… all in service of advancing the ‘America First’ agenda.” The exchange escalated into heated confrontations and unfounded accusations. Even more troubling, much of the exchange occurred via email, sometimes copied to more than a dozen government officials, and at least once, the dispute unfolded in correspondence with a foreign official. Following the report’s release, a U.S. official confirmed that Zambelli’s status as envoy had been terminated and that he is no longer a government employee.
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Original: toutiao.com/article/1879181216866506/
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