The State Department said Monday that Sen. Marco Rubio has refused to meet with Roberta Jacobson, President Obama’s nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Mexico.
Rubio has blocked Jacobson’s nomination because of the role she played in leading negotiations to normalize U.S. relations with Cuba. Rubio, a Cuban-American, joins many other Republicans who opposed Obama’s decision to make trade and travel concessions without demanding any concessions from Cuba on the issue of human rights or democratic rights.
State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday that while the department has offered to have Rubio meet with Jacobson, “the senator has declined that invitation.”
Kirby repeated that the administration believes the Senate has waited far too long to consider Jacobson’s nomination and again work with Mexico on a range of bilateral issues at a senior level.
“This lengthy, unnecessarily lengthy hold, has definitely hurt our ability to accomplish this,” he said. “It’s time to have a vote.”
Kirby didn’t get into why Rubio has refused to meet with Jacobson. “All I can tell you is an offer was made to meet to address any other … issues, any other questions outstanding, and that offer was declined,” he said.
One reporter suggested his presidential bid may have been keeping Rubio busy, though that reporter also suggested, “he might have a lot more time after tomorrow.” Rubio is expected to lose his home state’s primary election on Tuesday, after which many expect him to drop out of the race.
