Biden taps US ambassador to NATO for a top State Department role
CNN
President Joe Biden has nominated the current US ambassador to NATO to one of the top positions at the State Department.
President Joe Biden has nominated the current US ambassador to NATO to one of the top positions at the State Department. Biden announced on Wednesday his intent to nominate Julianne Smith to serve as the undersecretary of state for political affairs – a key diplomatic post involved in US efforts on Ukraine and the Middle East. Her nomination was sent to the Senate the same day, according to a release from the White House. The role has been without a confirmed official since late March, following the departure of Victoria Nuland. John Bass, the Under Secretary for Management, has been serving in the role in an acting capacity. Smith took on the role of US ambassador to NATO in November 2021, previously serving as a senior advisor to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. She has been the top US envoy to NATO throughout Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war has put the defensive alliance to the test and prompted its expansion, with Finland and Sweden both joining NATO in response to Russia’s invasion. A US official said that the administration hopes Smith will be confirmed to the job as soon as possible. It is unclear how quickly the Senate will move her nomination forward. A group of Republican senators have vowed to block all nominees in response to former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in the New York hush money case..
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