Trump's ex-Ambassador to Iceland is revealed as an incompetent, erratic, paranoid, lying sadist

Being the Ambassador to Iceland would seem like a cushy gig. The people are friendly, they speak English, the crime rate is low, the music scene is active, and there is nothing like a relaxing dip in heated mineral-rich water to ease a troubled soul. Granted there will not be much lying on the beach, but there is still plenty to do. But Trump’s pick for the position, Jeffrey Ross Gunter, could not handle it.

Gunter, who had never visited Iceland before his nomination, presented his credentials on July 2, 2019. In July 2020, CBS News reported that diplomats, officials, and people familiar with him called him paranoid about his security in Reykjavik. He asked the state department to get special permission from the Icelandic authorities to carry a gun. He also requested a stab-proof vest and door-to-door armored car service. Note, Reykjavik is one of the world’s safest cities.

In less than two years on the job, Gunter had seven deputy chiefs of mission, the second-highest position at the Embassy. He rejected the first one, who had gone to the trouble to learn Icelandic, simply because he did not like the look of him. CBS News also reported that Gunter "accused others of various, unsubstantiated infractions, including trying to undermine him in Washington and being complicit with the 'deep state’."

In February 2020, after a conference in Washington, Gunter refused to return to his post in Reykjavik. The State Department announced his delay was due to the COVID pandemic. However, multiple sources say that Gunter wanted to work remotely from California and told senior officials he would not go back to Iceland unless expressly ordered by then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Who eventually did so.

In October 2020, an Icelandic newspaper, Fréttablaðið, reported that an embassy employee had COVID. In response, the US Embassy posted, on its Facebook page, a statement claiming the article was “irresponsible”, “shameful” and “fake news”. The post also incorrectly claimed that Iceland had one of the highest rates of COVID infection in Europe. What a Trumpian mix of lies and language.

A report from the State Department’s Officer of the Inspector General (OIG) describes Gunter’s paranoid and erratic behavior. And revealed a nightmare working environment. It reported that, several months after his departure,

“Embassy staff were still recovering from what they described as a threatening and intimidating environment created by the former Ambassador. For example, staff reported to OIG multiple instances in which the former Ambassador threaten to sue departmental officials and embassy staff who expressed disagreement with him, questioned his wishes, or were perceived to be disloyal to him. In addition, many employees reported to OIG that the former ambassador threatened reprisal against employees who communicated with department officials in Washington while conducting their official duties.”

Gunter‘s relationship with the Icelandic Government was equally bad. It reached the point where the State Department decided to bypass the Embassy when talking with Icelandic officials. The OIG reported,

“The then-Undersecretary for Political Affairs instructed the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR) to work directly with the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure proper management of the bilateral relationship. This action attempted to mitigate the negative impact of the frequent failure of the former Ambassador's frequent failure to respect diplomatic protocol or to coordinate with the Icelandic Government on policy initiatives and press statements touching on sensitive defense-related subjects.”

What a fecking disaster. But hardly surprising. Gunter, a dermatologist from California, bought the appointment by showering the GOP and Trump with cash. In 2016, he donated $58,563 to several state Republican Party organizations, $33,400 to the RNC, and $5,400, the maximum contribution, to Trump’s presidential campaign. He also donated $100,000 to the Trump Victory PAC and $100,000 to his inaugural committee.

Gunter was not the only unqualified candidate for an Ambassadorship made by the Trump administration. This cabal of venal opportunists was unusually enthusiastic about giving Ambassadorships to big donors. The dismal list included a wealthy real estate developer, with no diplomatic experience, for the United Arab Emirates job. A position so sensitive it had always been filled by a trained diplomat. For Morocco, a deep-pocketed car dealer got the nod. And the nominee for Slovenia was the founder of an evangelical charity whose hobby was reposting false, far-right social media posts on Facebook.

Coming into office, Trump bragged that the world would no longer laugh at America. He was right. The world was so gobsmacked by the incompetence of the Administration and its appointees its feelings about America were a mixture of fear and pity. Except in Russia, where Putin could not believe how well his interference in the 2016 election was paying off.