Trump nominates Kelly Craft as UN ambassador

“Kelly has done an outstanding job representing our Nation and I have no doubt that, under her leadership, our Country will be represented at the highest level,” Trump said in a tweet.

The position was left vacant last year by Nikki Haley, who stepped down after two years as one of the nation’s top diplomats.

Trump said he planned to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert in December, but her nomination was never officially sent to the Senate for a confirmation vote. She withdrew her name from consideration earlier this month over her employment of a nanny who was in the U.S. legally but was not allowed to work.

Nauert was the State Department spokeswoman since April 2017 and is not expected to return to her role there.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., hailed Trump’s decision to nominate Craft, a fellow Kentuckian, to the United Nation post. McConnell had recommended her for the position.

“Kelly Craft is a strong advocate for American interests and will be a powerful representative of our great nation at the U.N. She has a long record of service to her state and the nation and I’m confident she will continue to serve with distinction as America’s voice to the world at the United Nations,” McConnell said in a statement.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also lauded Craft’s nomination. “Ambassador Craft has been an outstanding advocate for America’s national security and economic interests in Canada and she is extremely well-qualified to do the same at the United Nations,” he said.

Craft, 56, has been the ambassador to Canada since September 2017. She is married to Joe Craft, the CEO of Alliance Resource Partners, one of the largest coal producers in the U.S. He donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee.