United States President Donald Trump on Friday nominated State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert as the country’s next ambassador to the United Nations, PTI reported. Nauert, a former Fox News journalist, will replace Nikki Haley, who had announced her plan to leave the post.
“She’s [Nauert’s] done a great job working with [Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo and others over at the State Department,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “She’ll be ambassador to the United Nations. She’s very talented, very smart, very quick and I think that she will be respected by all.”
Haley, 46, had resigned in October and said she would be leaving her post by the end of the year. The former South Carolina governor served nearly two years in the post and was the first Indian-American appointed to a Cabinet position in any US presidential administration.
Nauert needs a simple majority to be named the ambassador and will be questioned by Democrats in the Senate. She was made the State Department spokesperson in April last year, which was her first government position. After former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired this year, she was named the acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs.
Nauert worked for Fox News from 1998 to 2005, and returned again in 2007 after a two-year role at ABC.
Trump on Friday also nominated conservative lawyer William Barr as head of the Department of Justice, AFP reported. Barr will replace Jeff Sessions, who was fired last month in connection with the investigation into the alleged Russian meddling in 2016 presidential elections.
Barr was attorney general when George HW Bush was the president.
“Barr is a terrific man, a terrific person,” Trump said. “He was my first choice from day one.... respected by Republicans, respected by Democrats.”
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