U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell tells Breitbart he wants to 'empower' Europe's right

U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell in Germany

(Image credit: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)

In an interview published Sunday, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell told Breitbart London that he wants to encourage Europe's resurgent right, specifically calling himself a "big fan" of Austria's conservative chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, who, Breitbart points out, recently "stood up to German Chancellor Angela Merkel" over Europe's immigration policies. "I absolutely want to empower other conservatives throughout Europe, other leaders," Grenell said. "I think there is a groundswell of conservative policies that are taking hold because of the failed policies of the left."

Grenell called his new job — he was confirmed by the Senate, 56-42, in April — "an exciting time for me," saying: "I look across the landscape and we've got a lot of work to do but I think the election of Donald Trump has empowered individuals and people to say that they can't just allow the political class to determine before an election takes place, who's going to win and who should run." Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), criticized Grenell's comments, teeing off a summary tweeted by Tom Wright at the Brookings Institution:

Grenell rejected the criticism of his comments, mostly:

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U.S. diplomats, especially ambassadors, traditionally don't publicly pick sides in the internal politics of the countries where they are stationed, especially in close U.S. allies with healthy democracies.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.