Rubio warns top staff against conflicts of interest as U.S. Republicans look to 2028

Marco Rubio, U.S. secretary of state, during a news conference at the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct. 31. | Bloomberg

Reuters

Nov 8, 2026

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has moved to tighten control over the State Department, telling senior officials that staff must stay in their lanes and avoid actions that present conflicts of interest, four people familiar with the matter said.

Rubio’s message, delivered in a meeting last week before the Republican Party’s electoral losses on Tuesday, comes as its leading figures attempt to put distance between themselves and an increasingly unpopular Trump administration.

The meeting followed the high-profile resignation of U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle in mid-October after news reports raised concerns that she sold access to Trump administration officials in exchange for money, gifts and favors.

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