Secretary of State Marco Rubio called senior State Department officials to a meeting last week and warned them to avoid conflicts of interest and to stay within their own areas of responsibility, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing four people familiar with what was said.
Reuters reported that the warning came after a member of Rubio’s senior team was pushed out following concerns that the official had worked too closely with another government office on policy. The man who left, Jeremy Lewin, the department’s policy chief, disputes that account on the record.
“The suggestion that I was fired is false,” Lewin told Reuters. “I resigned my position prior to the midterms to assume a private sector role and plan my wedding. It had nothing to do with any meeting.”
A State Department official told Reuters that Lewin’s move was “mutually agreed.” The department declined to comment to Reuters about the meeting.
The meeting itself, and what was said in it, rest on the word of Reuters’ four sources, who were not named. Zark News has not independently confirmed the meeting or the remarks attributed to Rubio in it.
According to Reuters, three of its sources said Lewin was forced out because of concerns that he had coordinated with another office on foreign policy matters without going through the proper channels. One of Reuters’ sources also said that Rubio’s office must now approve political travel by department officials. That rule has not been confirmed by the department.
Reuters did not give an exact date for the meeting, placing it last week. Lewin announced his own departure publicly on X on October 27, 2026, before the meeting as Reuters dates it.
Some of the backdrop to the Reuters report is documented on the record. On October 14, 2026, Rubio sent a memo to staff across the department reminding them to avoid conflicts of interest and to act impartially. The text of the memo was obtained by the Washington Post and reported by Bloomberg and other outlets.
Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle also left her post in mid-October after the White House asked her to resign, amid allegations that she had sold access, which she denies.
The Reuters report lands as Republicans look ahead to the 2028 presidential race, in which Rubio is widely seen as a possible contender.
Sources: Reuters, November 7, 2026; Washington Post and Bloomberg reporting on the October 14, 2026 State Department memo.
