Biden to nominate Jeff Flake as ambassador to Turkey

By Jeff Zeleny, Chief National Affairs Correspondent

President Joe Biden is nominating former Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake to serve as ambassador to Turkey, a White House official told CNN, as the administration continues filling out its roster of ambassadors.

Flake, a longtime Republican member of the House and Senate, emerged as a Biden supporter after becoming one of former President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics. He is a former member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The President is also nominating Kent Logsdon, a career foreign service officer, as ambassador to Moldova.

Extensive vetting is underway for several high-profile ambassador positions across Europe, Asia and beyond. The President has preferred candidates for several positions, but others are still open.

All nominees face Senate confirmation.

In a statement, Flake said he was honored and humbled by his selection.

“If confirmed by the Senate, I will be pleased to join a strong, experienced and capable team representing U.S. interests abroad. Having served in both the U.S. House and Senate, I understand and appreciate the role Congress plays in U.S. foreign policy, and I look forward to that partnership,” Flake said in a statement.

He added, “With this nomination, the Biden Administration reaffirms the best tradition of American foreign policy and diplomacy: the credo that partisan politics should stop at the water’s edge. U.S. foreign policy can and should be bipartisan. That is my belief as well, and my commitment.”

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