The U.S. State Department on Tuesday defended remarks by the new U.S. ambassador to Germany that drew condemnation from across that country's political spectrum, saying that U.S. envoys "have a right to express their opinions."
"Don't we as Americans have the right to free speech?" State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in response to questions about U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell's comments in an interview he gave last weekend to Breitbart News.
Grenell, a former U.S. spokesman at the United Nations and a strong supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, told the website that "I absolutely want to empower" European conservatives who are "experiencing an awakening from the silent majority."
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