Rubio seeks to impose order at State Dept. as Republicans look ahead to 2028

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has moved to tighten control over the State Department, telling senior officials in a recent meeting that staff must stay in their lanes and avoid efforts that present conflicts of interest, four people familiar with the matter said. Rubio’s message, delivered last week before the Republican Party’s electoral losses this Tuesday, comes as the party’s leading figures attempt to put distance between themselves and an increasingly unpopular Trump admini