Trump Targeted Him. Now He Says His Job Is 'Impossible'

The British ambassador to the US whom President Trump said he'd "no longer deal with" is leaving his official capacity: The Wall Street Journal reports Kim Darroch is resigning. "Since the leak of official documents from this Embassy there has been a great deal of speculation surrounding my position and the duration of my remaining term as ambassador," Darroch said in a statement, per Business Insider. "I want to put an end to that speculation. The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like." Darroch made his resignation official in a letter to Sir Simon McDonald, an official in the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office who accepted Darroch's resignation with "deep personal regret." Darroch had come under fire from Trump after recently leaked cables revealed him calling the Trump administration "inept" and "uniquely dysfunctional."

"You have behaved as you have always behaved over a long and distinguished career, with dignity, professionalism, and class," McDonald noted in his own words to Darroch. "You were the target of a malicious leak; you were simply doing your job." Outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May offered similar sentiments. "This morning I have spoken to Sir Kim Darroch," she told Parliament, per HuffPost. "I have told him that it is a matter of great regret that he has felt it necessary to leave his position." Darroch noted that though he'd been set to stay on till the end of 2019, "I believe in the current circumstances the responsible course is to allow the appointment of a new ambassador." He thanked all who've supported him "during this difficult few days." (More ambassador stories.)