Senate Confirms Craft as Ambassador to United Nations

Reuters
By Reuters
August 1, 2019Politics
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Senate Confirms Craft as Ambassador to United Nations
Kelly Craft testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on her nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 19, 2019. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

WASHINGTON—The Senate on Wednesday, July 31, confirmed Kelly Craft, who is currently ambassador to Canada, as ambassador to the United Nations.

The Senate backed Craft by a vote of 56 to 34, largely along party lines, moving to end seven months without a permanent U.S. envoy to the world body.

U.N. ambassador is one of several high-level positions in the Trump administration held for months by temporary appointees.

The Senate last week confirmed Army Secretary Mark Esper, a former lobbyist, as secretary of defense, ending a record 7-month period in which the Pentagon lacked a permanent top official.

This week, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats announced his resignation.

Trump nominated Craft, 57, for the U.N. post after a recommendation from Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who represents her home state of Kentucky.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft takes part in a meeting
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft takes part in a meeting with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Trudeau’s office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on Nov. 3, 2017. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)

Craft’s supporters called her a tough negotiator on a trade deal with Canada and Mexico who had established decent working relationships with both Republicans and Democrats.

Trump’s first U.N. ambassador, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, announced her resignation in October and left the position at the end of last year.

By Patricia Zengerle

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