Former Fox News anchor and State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Saturday withdrew from consideration to be the US ambassador to the United Nations amid criticism that she lacked the gravitas for one of the top diplomatic posts.
Former Fox News anchor and State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Saturday withdrew from consideration to be the US ambassador to the United Nations amid criticism that she lacked the gravitas for one of the top diplomatic posts.
“The past two months have been grueling for my family and therefore it is in the best interest of my family that I withdraw,” Nauert said in a statement.
The announcement came after weeks of often mocking criticism over President Donald Trump’s nomination of Nauert, who had no foreign policy experience until two years ago when she was named State Department spokeswoman.
Leading Democrats questioned whether Nauert, despite her poise at the podium, had the skills to negotiate on complex international issues or go head-to-head with seasoned diplomats from adversaries such as Russia.
But with Trump’s Republican Party in control of the Senate, her nomination did not seem to be in serious jeopardy, raising questions on why she announced her withdrawal abruptly in the evening on a holiday weekend.
Bloomberg News, quoting anonymous sources, said that a White House background check had discovered that Nauert employed a nanny who was legally in the United States but not authorized to work.
Trump, whose tough line on immigration is his signature issue, started looking Saturday for a new nominee, the report said.
