Senate Confirms Kelly Knight Craft As UN Ambassador
The Senate confirmed Trump nominee Kelly Knight Craft on Wednesday as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted about Craft’s confirmation, calling the Trump pick an “impressive nominee.”
The Senate just confirmed @POTUS's impressive nominee for the critical role of @USUN Ambassador: Kelly Knight Craft of #Kentucky. I’m confident our entire nation will be proud of the fine service she will render as our Ambassador to the United Nations. pic.twitter.com/8yZTeICXW0
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) July 31, 2019
Craft fills a seven-month vacancy in an important diplomatic role, replacing Nikki Haley, who departed in December. Jonathan Cohen has been serving as acting ambassador in the interim.
Craft has been serving as the U.S. ambassador to Canada since 2017, and formerly served as a member of the U.S. delegation to the UN General Assembly during President George W. Bush’s administration.
During her confirmation hearing in June, Craft strayed a bit from Trump on concerns regarding the climate crisis, saying she believes fossil fuels and human behavior are contributors but stopping short of calling for returning to the Paris climate agreement.
Last year, she made headlines when she said she respects “both sides of the science” when asked about her opinion on the scientific conclusion that humans are responsible for climate change.
She and her husband, Joe Craft, are some of the biggest Republican financial donors in Kentucky, where McConnell is from. Kelly Knight Craft also has personal ties with McConnell’s wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
