Trump Names Kelly Craft to Succeed Haley as UN Envoy

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump announced Friday that he selected Kelly Craft, the US ambassador to Canada, as his nominee to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump said in a pair of tweets that Craft “has done an outstanding job representing our Nation” and he has “no doubt that, under her leadership, our Country will be represented at the highest level.”

Two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters told The Associated Press that Trump had been advised that Craft’s confirmation would be the smoothest of the three candidates he had been considering to fill the job last held by Nikki Haley.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell backed Craft for the post, and she also has the support of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, they said. Trump’s first pick to replace Haley, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, withdrew over the weekend.

Craft, a Kentucky native, was a member of the US delegation to the UN General Assembly under President George W. Bush’s administration. She is also friends with McConnell’s wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and thanked Chao for her “longtime friendship and support” at her swearing-in as ambassador.

As US ambassador to Canada, Craft played a role in facilitating the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, a revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement.