The Powers That Be: Daily A Foggy Bottom Witch Hunt
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Sep 19, 2025 Journalist Julia Ioffe, author of the critically acclaimed book 'Motherland', joins to unveil the Trump administration's initiative to target alleged anti-Christian bias within the State Department. She discusses the motivations driving this controversial task force and the feelings of marginalization among members of other faiths. Ioffe also reveals how this political maneuvering has affected hiring practices and the broader culture within Foggy Bottom, which has historically been inclusive of diverse beliefs.
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Task Force Focused On Culture Wars
- The Trump task force created a portal to collect anonymous complaints about alleged anti-Christian bias at the State Department.
- Many submissions focused on culture-war issues like vaccine exemptions, pronouns, and LGBT policies rather than formal religious discrimination.
Alleged Workplace Shaming Examples
- Complaints included claims that colleagues called unvaccinated staff "plague rats" and that an ambassador accused a subordinate of wanting to kill his mother.
- The preliminary report noted these allegations require further vetting and may not be true.
Who Reviews The Complaints?
- The civil rights complaints submitted through the portal were routed to Heather Alowski, acting head of the State Department civil rights office.
- Alowski is also an evangelical pastor, which raised questions about who would evaluate these claims.
