Secretary for Political Affairs in the new administration. Hale consequently stepped down from the position and was detailed to the Wilson Center, a policy think-tank based in Washington D.C, as a Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow. He remains an active-duty U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Upon his resignation as Under Secretary, he ceded his status as the highest-ranking U.S. Foreign Service Officer, a position held by the officer serving in the highest political appointment in the Department (usually Deputy Secretary or Under Secretary for Political Affairs) irrespective of years of service. Testifying in impeachment inquiry Hale appeared before House investigators on November 6, 2019 with regard to the impeachment inquiry. Hale came to the attention of the impeachment inquiry when Philip Reeker testified about support for Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch being suppressed after President Donald Trump had her removed as ambassador to Ukraine. Mr. Reeker's deputy, George P. Kent, voiced misgivings about Rudy Giuliani’s role in Ukraine matters to Reeker and Hale, according to documents from the State Department's inspector general. On November 20, 2019, Hale testified that an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) official informed him that Trump ordered aid to be withheld from Ukraine. See also List of ambassadors of the United States References External links Deposition Nov. 6, 2019 |- |- |- |- 1962 births Living people Ambassadors of the United States to Jordan Ambassadors of the United States to Lebanon Ambassadors of the United States to Pakistan People from New Jersey Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni United States Career Ambassadors United States Foreign Service personnel People from Ann Arbor, Michigan 20th-century American diplomats 21st-century American diplomats