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The donor-diplomat has a long and sordid history in American politics. Joe Biden should finally end it.
By Mattathias Schwartz
Mr. Schwartz is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine who reports regularly on national security and foreign policy. He is based in Washington.
Dec. 15, 2020
George Harvey, the American ambassador to the United Kingdom, at a ball in London with the Prince of Wales on March 23, 1923.Credit…PA Images, via Getty Images
Who wouldn’t want to be an American ambassador?
Beyond the pomp and social cachet, you get a luxury residence, six-figure salary, and private school tuition for your children a comfortable diplomatic lifestyle bankrolled by taxpayers. For decades, presidents from both parties have quietly distributed a portion of these cushy posts (often in the touristy capitals of Europe and the Caribbean) to some of their most generous campaign donors. Although the practice is technically prohibited by law, Congress has long acquiesc