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U.S. Ambassador to Panama Resigns Amid Fervor over Trump’s “Shithole” Comments

HeadlineJan 16, 2018

The U.S. ambassador to Panama has resigned amid international outrage over President Trump’s racist comment in which Trump reportedly called African nations, El Salvador and Haiti shithole countries. In his resignation letter, U.S. Ambassador to Panama John Feeley said he feels he can no longer serve the president. His resignation takes effect March 9. The news of the resignation comes after Trump sparked an international firestorm by reportedly saying during a meeting with lawmakers at the White House last week, “Why do we want all these people from Africa here? They’re shithole countries … We should have more people from Norway.” It’s now being claimed by some lawmakers who were present at the meeting that Trump used the words “shithouse,” not “shithole.” In response to the comments, the government of Botswana wrote in a statement, “The Botswana government has also enquired from the US government through the Ambassador, to clarify if Botswana is regarded as a 'shithole' country.”

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