The State Department will cooperate with a government-wide task force to collect information “involving anti-religious bias during the last presidential administration.”
The Trump administration has directed State Department employees to report incidents of alleged “anti-Christian bias” among their colleagues, as part of a broader initiative to support Christian employees across the federal government.
According to an internal cable obtained by Politico, the State Department will cooperate with a government-wide task force to collect information “involving anti-religious bias during the last presidential administration” and will document examples of anti-Christian bias via anonymous employee reports.
The cable was sent to embassies worldwide under Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s name. A department-wide notice was also sent out detailing the instructions.
“Reports should be as detailed as possible, including names, dates, locations (e.g. post or domestic office where the incident occurred,)” the cable stated.
The directive is linked to a February executive order issued by President Donald Trump, which mandates the removal of anti-Christian bias from all federal agencies.
"The previous Administration engaged in an egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses," the White House said in a fact sheet addressing the order. "President Trump will not tolerate this abuse of government and is taking action to ensure that any unlawful and improper anti-Christian conduct, policies or practices are identified, terminated, and rectified."
The task force, created by the executive order, is scheduled to meet around April 22 to review the findings. The initiative includes collecting examples not only of anti-Christian bias but also broader anti-religious discrimination.
“Although the E.O. focuses on anti-Christian bias, targeting anyone for their religious beliefs is discriminatory and is contrary to the Constitution” and federal laws, the notice stated.
Despite the administration’s framing, some State Department officials have criticized the directive, who believe that even if the order is well-intentioned it creates the false premise that the State Department has anti-Christian bias.
“It’s very ‘Handmaid’s Tale'-esque,” an anonymous State Department official said, per Politico.
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