Hillary Clinton said goodbye to the State Department Friday, telling a large crowd of colleagues that she will be an “advocate from outside” for the work the department continues to do.
To staffers who are staying on under incoming Secretary of State John Kerry, Clinton said, “I hope you will redouble your efforts to do all that you can to demonstrate unequivocally why diplomacy and development are right up there with defense.”
“Let me give you the very best wishes that I can, because I’m proud to have been a part of you,” Clinton added. “I leave thinking of the nearly 70,000 people that I was honored to serve and lead as part of a huge extended family. And I hope that you will continue to make yourselves, make me, and make our country proud. Thank you, all, and God bless you.”
