State Dept. Spox Attacks NY Times Report on Department ‘Overhaul’ — Then Announces a ‘Comprehensive Reorganization’

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce tore into the New York Times on Tuesday morning over a report on a “draft executive order” to “overhaul” the department’s structure. Later in the day, she took to her podium and announced a “comprehensive reorganization plan” for the department.

Bruce, a former Fox News contributor, appeared on Fox Business Network and was asked to weigh in on the Times story that reported “the Trump administration is drafting an executive order that would drastically restructure the State Department. What they’re reporting is that it would eliminate almost all of its Africa operations, the department would shut down embassies and consulates across the continent.”

“I’m glad you asked,” replied Bruce, adding:

Not only is it not a document that comes from the State Department. We know nothing of it. It is fake. This is a situation, though, not only do they fall victim to another hoax, but they left a message for the State Department at 2.30 in the morning on Easter saying, do you want to comment? What do you think of this? Is this real? It is an outrageous offense to the nature of the ethics of trying to be able to at least confirm what it is they have.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also called the story “fake news” on X. The Sunday report by Edward Wong was titled, “Trump Administration Draft Order Calls for Drastic Overhaul of State Department.” In the article, Wong noted:

It was not immediately clear who had compiled the document or what stage of internal debates over a restructuring of the State Department it reflected. It is one of several recent documents proposing changes to the department, and internal administration conversations take place daily on possible actions.

Some of the ideas have been debated among U.S. officials in recent weeks, though it is unclear to what degree they would be adopted or how active the draft is, officials said.

While Wong’s report did not suggest any kind of timeline for the restructuring of the State Department, Bruce did later on Tuesday announce exactly that.

“Today, under President Trump’s leadership and at the direction of Secretary Rubio, we are reversing decades of bloat and bureaucracy at the State Department. The Secretary announced a reorganization plan to build an America First State Department to meet the challenges of a new era,” Bruce announced, later noting:

The sprawling bureaucracy created a system more beholden to radical political ideology than advancing America’s core national interests. That is why today, Secretary Rubio is announcing a comprehensive reorganization plan that will bring the Department into the 21st century. This approach will empower the Department from the ground up. From the bureaus to the embassies.

Region-specific functions will be consolidated to increase functionality. Redundant offices will be removed. And non-statutory programs that are misaligned with America’s core national interests will cease to exist.

Rubio tweeted on Tuesday that the Free Press got the real exclusive on the department’s reorganization and shared their report, which included a swipe at the Times. “Previous speculation, including a report published Sunday in The New York Times, had focused on the possible closure of overseas offices, including the elimination of almost all its Africa operations,” wrote the Free Press’s Gabe Kaminsky and Madeleine Rowley, adding, “But the planning documents seen by The Free Press, several of which are marked “SBU” for Sensitive But Unclassified, make no mention of the rumored changes covered by the Times.”

A spokesman from the Times told Mediaite in a comment, “We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting on proposals to restructure the State Department, some details of which were confirmed by the secretary of state today.”

Watch the clips above.

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