ROME – WFP staff were bewildered this week to receive a memo on urgent “corporate efficiency measures” from chief of staff Meghan ‘chopper’ Latcovich rather than Executive Director Cindy McCain who was heading to Washington, evidently to determine whether the Trump administration will allow her to remain in the post as head of the hunger-fighting agency, diplomatic sources said.

 “Strange that 'Chopper Pilot'  should write this,” a senior WFP executive said of the memo, speaking to the Insider on condition he not be named.

 “Where’s Cindy, or Carl? Apparently Cindy is heading to DC.”

 Ms Latcovich, a former US Navy helicopter pilot and de facto bodyguard of Ms McCain when the ED is in Rome, said in the memo that “in line with our ongoing efficiency efforts, projected donor forecasting, and the recent US 90-days pause in foreign assistance, we are implementing immediate corporate measures to safeguard our ability to assist the most vulnerable people. While in 2024 we made progress towards a leaner, field-focused organization, including reducing our overhead budget by 15 percent, we will need to stay the course and continue our efforts. These new measures represent necessary adjustments to help us navigate the current pause and contribution outlook effectively.”

 Ms McCain and the chief of staff are believed to have been planning a graceful exit following the inauguration of Trump, who Ms McCain opposed as a maverick Republican and is credited by some observers with enabling the election of President Biden by campaigning for him in the key swing state of Arizona where her late husband, reviled by Trump, was governor. As if the uncertainty about her future in the Eternal City were not enough, Ms McCain, 70, is recovering from a recent hip replacement operation.  

 The head of the WFP in recent decades has been nominated by the White House and then endorsed by the UN Secretary General and the head of the sister UN agency in Rome, the Food and Agriculture Organization.

 Republican appointee Josette Sheeran was able to serve out the rest of her term at the head of WFP even after Barack Obama became president but Trump and his cohorts in the past have been quick to yank out ambassadors and other political appointees almost within days of his being elected even if it means leaving a long interregnum.

 Ms McCain succeeded former Republican governor of South Carolina David Beasley who was highly popular among staff and a superlative fundraiser climaxing in his collecting a Nobel Prize awarded to the WFP.

 Ms McCain became unpopular with many staff after appearing to support Israel during the Gaza war in the wake of the Hamas Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. She had the reputation of rarely venturing out from her office and arranged for Ms Latcovich, to stay at her swanky apartment in Rome when she was in the Eternal City as a de facto bodyguard, WFP sources say.

 “Donaldo is a bit more vindictive that Barry,” the WFP executive added. “I expect a resurgent ‘Bring Back Beasley’or ‘David Come Back’movement in WFP.

 “Remember, one reason Donaldo lost out last time may be because Cindy helped to deliver Arizona for Joe. He won’t have forgotten that.”

  In addition to Ms McCain the recently arrived US Ambassador to the UN agencies indicated earlier this year he expected to be curtailing his assignment in the event of a Trump victory.

 jp