Officials at the State Department and the National Security Council were caught off guard by President Donald Trump’s Saturday decision to invite Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House, the New York Times reported on Sunday.
Per the New York Times:
Two senior officials said they expected the State Department and the National Security Council, both of which were caught off guard by the invitation, to raise objections internally.
Trump invited Duterte to the United States during a Saturday call with the leader of the Philippines.
Duterte’s leadership in the Philippines has led to a spike in extrajudicial killings, making Trump’s invitation to Duterte controversial. Democrats quickly criticized Trump for the move.
We are watching in real time as the American human rights bully pulpit disintegrates into ash. https://t.co/VgVflWoMUf
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 30, 2017
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus defended the invitation on Sunday and said that the White House wants to “encourage” Duterte “to do better.”