--- title: John Kerry, Diplomats Banned From Ice Bucket Challenge description: Lawyers say it's an ethical issue canonical: https://time.com/3154685/u-s-diplomats-banned-from-ice-bucket-challenge/ author: Eliana Dockterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-21T20:22:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:49.691Z article:section: Politics og:title: John Kerry, Diplomats Banned From Ice Bucket Challenge og:description: Lawyers say it's an ethical issue og:url: https://time.com/3154685/u-s-diplomats-banned-from-ice-bucket-challenge/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89e3bd92eff85aea/69869d95f983e7639a04f065/kerry2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3439 og:image:height: 1934 og:image:alt: US Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks while releasing the 2013 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom July 28, 2014, at the US State Department in Washington. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John Kerry, Diplomats Banned From Ice Bucket Challenge twitter:description: Lawyers say it's an ethical issue twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89e3bd92eff85aea/69869d95f983e7639a04f065/kerry2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # U.S. Diplomats Banned From Ice Bucket Challenge > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: It’ll Be A Cold Day: The Ice Bucket Challenge [Watch (HLS stream): It’ll Be A Cold Day: The Ice Bucket Challenge](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GIHofBBD.m3u8) (1:33)  _Published 2014-08-11. If you’ve seen people all over your newsfeed dumping buckets of ice water on themselves, you’re not alone. The Ice Bucket Challenge is ironically one of the hottest things on social media as it tries to raise money for ALS charities._  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Aug 21, 2014 8:22 PM UTC  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks while releasing the 2013 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom on July 28, 2014, in Washington, D.C. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks while releasing the 2013 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom on July 28, 2014, in Washington, D.C. Paul J. Richards—AFP/Getty Images  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Aug 21, 2014 8:22 PM UTC John Kerry will not be dumping ice water over his head and filming it. Lawyers at the State Department have forbidden U.S. diplomats from participating in the Ice Bucket Challenge, a social-media phenomenon raising money and awareness for ALS. In a cable sent this week to U.S. ambassadors and foreign-service officers, and obtained Thursday [by the Associated Press](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/us-diplomats-barred-ice-bucket-challenge), the lawyers said the it’s an ethical issue. “There are firmly established rules preventing the use of public office, such as our ambassadors, for private gain, no matter how worthy a cause,” the cable said. “Thus, high-ranking State Department officials are unfortunately unable to participate in the ice bucket challenge. We since wish the ALS Association continued success in its ice bucket campaign, and in its fight against Lou Gehrig’s disease.” Celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Oprah Winfrey and George W. Bush are among those who have posted videos of themselves dumping freezing cold water on their heads. The Ice Bucket Challenge has raised over $40 million so far. \[[_AP_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/us-diplomats-barred-ice-bucket-challenge)\] ## Transcript If you've seen people all over your news feed dumping buckets of ice water on themselves, you're not alone. The ice bucket challenge is ironically one of the hottest things on social media as it tries to raise money for ALS foundations. The challenge went viral thanks to former Boston College pitcher Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig's disease disease in 2012. So what does the challenge entail? A person dumps ice water on themselves and then challenges six other people to do the same in 24 hours or donate $ 100 to an ALS charity. Celebrities such as The Fault in Our Stars actor Ansel Elgort and Martha Stewart have joined in on the challenge. Boston. com and. Frank's parents organized a mass ice bucket challenge last Thursday, after which, the website challenged New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Some questioned the effect of the ice bucket challenge with the Boston Herald quoting a Twitter user as saying. I don't see how dumping a bucket of ice water over your head can cure a disease. Meanwhile Frates told the paper, via Facebook, that exposure like this is what the ALS community needs so we can even attempt to find a cure and reversal for people living with this insidious disease. The challenge has led to a spike in donations for the ALS Association. The foundation's president, Barbara Newhouse, told CBS's WBZ News Radio that the organization raised more than $ 168, 000 in online donations in the past week, compared to just $ 14, 000 over the same time frame last year. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3154685/u-s-diplomats-banned-from-ice-bucket-challenge/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3154685/u-s-diplomats-banned-from-ice-bucket-challenge/"},"headline":"U.S. Diplomats Banned From Ice Bucket Challenge","datePublished":"2014-08-21T20:22:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:00:49.691Z","description":"Lawyers say it's an ethical issue","url":"https://time.com/3154685/u-s-diplomats-banned-from-ice-bucket-challenge/","keywords":["Foreign Policy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89e3bd92eff85aea/69869d95f983e7639a04f065/kerry2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89e3bd92eff85aea/69869d95f983e7639a04f065/kerry2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"US Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks while releasing the 2013 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom July 28, 2014, at the US State Department in Washington.","caption":"US Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks while releasing the 2013 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom July 28, 2014, at the US State Department in Washington.","creditText":"Paul J. 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