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AMBASSADOR

US ambassador to Denmark makes incorrect Twitter claim about own vote

The United States Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands has been criticised for tweeting an incorrect claim that her own vote had not been counted in the country's general election.

Published: 12 November 2020 09:43 CET
Updated: 12 November 2020 10:47 CET
US ambassador to Denmark makes incorrect Twitter claim about own vote
United States Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands. Photo: Philip Davali/Ritzau Scanpix

Earlier this week, Sands posted on her personal Twitter account a screenshot which she claimed showed her absentee ballot in the state of Pennsylvania had not been registered.

Absentee or mail-in votes in the state can be tracked using the voter's name, date of birth and the county they voted in. All of this information for Sands is public.

Several other Twitter users – as well as the New York Times – then looked up Sands' vote on the Pennsylvania state government website and found it was indeed registered, on October 15th. It is unclear when the information on Sands' vote would have been updated to Pennsylvania's election website.

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Sands, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017, has made several Twitter posts since the US election in support of Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud.

The NYT writes that the US State Department did not respond to its request for comment after the paper sent press officers screen shots of both Sands’ tweets and the Pennsylvania election website showing her vote was counted. Danish broadcaster TV2 said it was unable to reach Sands for comment.

The story prompted Sands’ predecessor, former president Barack Obama appointee Rufus Gifford, to post a link to the NYT report with an apology to Denmark.

“I’m so sorry Denmark. Truth and decency will be back in 70 days,” Gifford wrote in reference to president-elect Joe Biden’s victory in last week’s election. The former ambassador campaigned for Biden in the 2020 US election.

READ ALSO: 'This is how to leave office': Former Danish PM sends Trump a message

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AMBASSADOR

Trump’s ambassador to Denmark leaves country as president’s term ends

After three years as United States Ambassador to Denmark, Carla Sands has stepped down from the post and left Copenhagen.

Published: 20 January 2021 13:07 CET
Trump’s ambassador to Denmark leaves country as president’s term ends
Outgoing United States Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands. Photo: Philip Davali/Ritzau Scanpix

The now-former ambassador confirmed she had taken leave of the Danish capital via Twitter.

US president Donald Trump’s term ends on Wednesday, with President-elect Joe Biden to be inaugurated at 6pm Danish time.

“It's been a privilege serving the Trump Administration for over 3 years as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark. I’ve enjoyed promoting USA-Denmark-Faroe Islands-Greenland relations,” Sands tweeted.

“I have departed Copenhagen,” she added in a follow-up tweet.

In a video included in the tweets, Sands mentions her highlights of her time as ambassador. These include the re-opening of the US consulate in Greenland capital Nuuk alongside US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Sands, who took over as ambassador in 2017 after being appointed by Trump, is likely to be remembered as the incumbent at the time of Trump’s overtures towards purchasing Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Danish kingdom.

After Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed Trump’s suggestion that the United States could buy the Arctic territory from Denmark, the US president promptly cancelled an official visit to Denmark scheduled for September 2019.

Sands met with the Danish government on several occasions in an attempt to take the heat out of a potential diplomatic dispute.

READ ALSO: Danes pour scorn on Trump after state visit postponement

More recently, Sands was criticised for tweeting an incorrect claim that her own vote had not been counted in the country's general election.

The ambassador posted on her personal Twitter account a screenshot which she claimed showed her absentee ballot in the state of Pennsylvania had not been registered. She also made several other posts on the site following the US election in support of Trump's baseless claims of election fraud.

Several other Twitter users – as well as the New York Times – looked up Sands' vote on the Pennsylvania state government website and found it was in fact registered.

READ ALSO: US ambassador to Denmark makes incorrect Twitter claim about own vote

After a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC on January 6th, Sands was officially contacted by foreign minister Jeppe Kofod. The minister called for Trump to concede defeat in the election and ensure a peaceful transition of power.

Newspaper Berlingske reported that this was the first time in history that a Danish foreign minister had officially protested over internal affairs in the United States.

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