A high-ranking New Zealand diplomat is under fire after telling the American Democratic party to get their ‘s**t together or we will all die’.
The Kiwi government said it is taking ‘appropriate action’ after the country’s deputy head of mission to the United States Caroline Beresford tweeted profanity in response to a story about a potential Bernie Sanders-Elizabeth Warren presidential run in 2020.
‘A Sanders-Warren ticket could win big in 2020,’ the tweet from politics website The Hill read, which Beresford replied to saying ‘no it couldn’t’.
‘Please get your s**t together or we will all die. They’ve learned nothing,’ she said.
New Zealand diplomat Caroline Beresford is under fire after telling the American Democratic party to get their ‘s**t together or we will all die’
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said the ministry didn’t endorse Ms Bereford’s tweets
Ms Beresford has since deleted the tweets.
She told Newsroom that she was the author of the tweets, and she realised they were ‘inappropriate’.
‘Yes I did send those tweets and realised very quickly that they were inappropriate, which is why I deleted them,’ she said.
She has since set her Twitter account to be viewed by request only.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said the ministry didn’t endorse Ms Bereford’s tweets.
She said Ms Bereford failed to meet the ministry’s code of conduct and social media guidelines.
‘These expectations were not met in this instance. The ministry will be making this clear to the staff member concerned and taking appropriate action.’
Ms Beresford tweeted profanity in response to a story about a potential Bernie Sanders-Elizabeth Warren presidential run in 2020
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said the ministry had responded appropriately, while a spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in Wellington said they hold their New Zealand counterparts in ‘the highest regard’.
Ms Beresford is responsible for running much of New Zealand’s day-to-day diplomatic mission in the United States, and is ranked below only Ambassador Tim Groser.
The comments were jarring in New Zealand, where politicians and diplomats have been careful to avoid making strong public statements about Trump or his policies.
New Zealand considers the U.S. a close ally, and the two nations are part of the “Five Eyes” intelligence gathering network, which also includes Australia, Canada and the U.K.
Ms Beresford is responsible for running much of New Zealand’s day-to-day diplomatic mission in the United States, and is ranked below only Ambassador Tim Groser (U.S. President Donald Trump pictured)