President names the governor of Louisiana as 'Special Envoy to Greenland.'

The President, on Sunday evening, posted on his social network that the governor of Louisiana would, going forward, serve as Special Envoy to Greenland. The post characterized the governor as understanding how essential Greenland is to our national security. The post did not specify the legal basis of the appointment, the office to which the governor would report, the office’s funding source, the office’s ranking within the State Department, or the extent to which the governor would continue to serve as the chief executive of his state.

Hon. I want to walk you through this.

Greenland is, in the relevant international law, a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark. It has a population of approximately 56,000. Its head of state is, formally, the King of Denmark. Its head of government is the Premier of Greenland, who, by the most recent election, holds office through an elected legislature. The Kingdom of Denmark conducts Greenland’s foreign affairs, except for those matters Greenland has assumed under the 2009 Self-Government Act.

The United States has, on the public record, no special envoy to Greenland. The U.S. has, on the public record, an ambassador to Denmark. The ambassador, by long-standing practice, handles U.S.-Greenland matters as part of the Denmark portfolio. There is also, in Nuuk, a U.S. consulate, which has a consul. The consul handles consular matters.

The administration’s position, by Monday morning, was that the governor’s role would be a special role, outside the existing State Department structure, reporting directly to the President, on Greenland-specific matters. The Danish foreign ministry’s position, by Monday afternoon, was that no special envoy from the U.S. has been credentialed to Greenland through the proper channel, which is the Danish foreign ministry. The two positions are, on the diplomatic record, not compatible.

The governor of Louisiana, by his own statement Sunday night, was honored to accept. He was, on Sunday morning, on a hunting trip in southern Louisiana. He had not, prior to the post, been to Greenland. He had not, prior to the post, been to Denmark. He had, on the record, been to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, which is, by some accounts, the closest he has been to a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark, by way of Lutheran retail demographics.

I have been a waitress for thirty years. When the boss tells me to go cover a section I have never been in, I cover it. I do not call myself the special server for the section. I just take the orders.

That ought to concern you.