Following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, the Biden-Harris State Department reportedly hosted a series of in-house therapy sessions in which employees were invited to cry over Trump’s win as they dived deep into their devastation, according to the Washington Free Beacon which obtained an investigatory letter into the matter. Senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA), is calling for a briefing following reports of the therapy sessions, demanding that the State Department disclose how much it spent on them.
“The request comes on the heels of a Free Beacon report detailing at least two therapy sessions held at the State Department in the wake of this month’s election. Sources described one informal meeting held for Near Eastern Affairs Bureau staffers as a ‘cry session’ over Trump’s win. An agency-wide email also touted an ‘insightful webinar where we delve into effective stress management techniques to help you navigate these challenging times.’ That webinar was held on November 8, three days after Trump’s win. Another was scheduled for November 13.”
Writing to outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Issa said it was “disturbing that ostensibly nonpartisan government officials would suffer a personal meltdown over the results of a free and fair election, something the United States champions around the world.”
Issa criticized the State Department for fueling the unprofessional behavior by accommodating it and subsidizing the therapy sessions with taxpayer dollars.
“The mental health of our foreign service personnel is important,” he wrote, “but the Department has no obligation to indulge and promote the leftist political predilections of its employees and soothe their frayed nerves because of the good-faith votes of—and at the personal expense of—the American taxpayers.”
Adding to his concern over the therapy sessions held for employees in regard to Trump’s win, Issa is also pressing the State Department to disclose whether such therapy sessions have been held for others, including U.S. diplomats stationed abroad.
The fact that employees find their personal struggle with Trump’s win so severe that they need therapy suggests that those who attend them may not be able to carry out their duties under the Trump administration, Issa argued.
“The mere fact that the Department is hosting these sessions raises significant questions about the willingness of its personnel to implement the lawful policy priorities that the American people elected President Trump to pursue and implement,” Issa wrote. “If foreign service officers cannot follow through on the American people’s preferences, they should resign and seek a political appointment in the next Democrat administration.”
The Free Beacon reports that one official familiar with the therapy sessions noted that there has been an “overemphasis on people’s feelings” during the tenure of the Biden-Harris administration, making the government reflect a college-like atmosphere rather than a professional place of work. Government employees are expected to carry out their duties with respect for the administration put in office by the American people regardless of their own personal opinions and feelings. It is an understatement to say that time spent at therapy sessions because of the results of a fair and free election hinders productivity in an essential department of the government where employees must be focused on carrying out their duties.