State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert’s unconventional path into the foreign policy world shouldn’t derail her nomination to lead the U.S. mission to the United Nations, according to a key Senate Republican.
“I don’t think that needs to be a threshold issue,” Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said while discussing Nauert’s lack of traditional diplomatic experience. “Nikki Haley demonstrated that you can be an exceptional U.N. ambassador without coming from the foreign policy establishment, as it were.”
Young, who told the Washington Examiner that he is “inclined to support” Nauert’s nomination, chairs the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee that oversees U.S. diplomacy at the United Nations. He’s also embroiled in negotiations over legislation to force the Trump administration to take a harder line on Saudi Arabia in the wake of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
But the Indiana lawmaker, while “still reviewing her record,” didn’t give oxygen to the attacks on her resume.
“She seems to have done well in her previous post,” he said. “She’s earned the trust and confidence of the president and she’s conversant in global affairs, which of course is precisely what you want in that position.”
That’s a more accommodating line than his Democratic counterpart on the subcommittee for multilateral institutions took on Friday.
“Ambassador to the U.N. is a pivotal role, which has been previously held by individuals with deep international affairs knowledge, political leadership, or diplomatic experience,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said in a statement after the announcement.
“Unquestioned loyalty to President Trump and experience as an anchor on President Trump’s favorite cable news network are clearly not sufficient qualifications. Ms. Nauert will have to answer questions about whether her background is the right one for this job, one that requires tough negotiations and speaking truth to power both in front of the camera and in closed rooms.”
Young took a higher view of her communications background and the role of diplomatic advisers in making a successful ambassador to the U.N. “You surround yourself [with] quality people and you demonstrate that you’re able to — on the world stage — communicate the position of the United States of America,” he said.
