Valletta, Malta, Apr 27, 2011 / 01:36 am
Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Malta Doug Kmiec wrote an April 24 open letter reaffirming his admiration for President Obama and protesting the “injustice” forcing him to leave his current position.
“By now, many know that these are my final weeks in Malta,” wrote Kmiec. “An unfortunate rebuke for refusing to either suppress the relevance of faith in my life and writing, or to disregard the President’s assignment to promote inter-faith dialogue, has prompted me to offer my resignation to the President.” According to the State Department, the president has accepted his resignation.
Kmiec said many of his supporters had expressed “anger and disbelief that the U.S. … would tolerate such injustice.” The criticism that Kmiec considered an “injustice” came from State Department officials, who complained that Kmiec was spending too much time writing on the subject of inter-religious dialogue while neglecting fundamental duties of his ambassadorship.
He described the State Department Inspector General's April 7 audit, which led to his resignation, as an act of “soulless, secular censorship.” Along with Kmiec's investment of time in writing about religious affairs, the report also said he did not not manage the embassy effectively, follow State Department guidance, or meet frequently enough with Maltese government officials and colleagues.