Bob Corker turns down Australian ambassadorship

By Naomi Lim

Published May 22, 2018 2:12am ET

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Bob Corker turns down Australian ambassadorship — Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, of Tennessee speaks with reporters after a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 8, 2018 in Washington. President Trump says the United States is withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, which he called "defective at its core." | (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Retiring Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., has declined President Trump’s offer to become the next U.S. ambassador to Australia, saying the move “wasn’t the right step” after he leaves Congress following the 2018 midterm elections.

“I had a number of conversations with both President Trump and [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo,” Corker told the Tennessean Monday after first being approached three weeks ago. “At the end of the day though … it just felt like it wasn’t the right step.”

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Donald Trump Jeff Flake Mike Pompeo Senate Senate Foreign Relations Committee