Trump Said to Pick Donor Kelly Craft for Ambassador to Canada

President Donald Trump has chosen Kelly Knight Craft, a long-time donor to Republican campaigns, including his own, as ambassador to Canada, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Craft accepted the nomination and is completing the paperwork process required before Senate consideration, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the appointment hasn’t been announced publicly. Craft declined to comment when reached by phone Wednesday.

Craft will oversee the relationship with the second-biggest U.S. trading partner after China and would probably play a role as the U.S. seeks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the White House last week, and Trump mentioned him in a speech before Congress on Tuesday when he highlighted a joint initiative to help female entrepreneurs.

Craft’s financial disclosure filings may be complex because her husband, Joseph Craft III, is the chief executive officer of Alliance Resources Partners LP, a publicly traded coal company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Joseph Craft is a longtime donor to Republican causes.

The appointment is the first of several likely to be made in the coming days as Trump fills dozens of ambassadorial posts that have remained empty since he took office on Jan. 20. So far, only one appointee -- David Friedman, nominated to be ambassador to Israel --- has faced a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and none has been confirmed.

Craft and her husband contributed $431,000 to Trump Victory, the joint fundraising committee that supported his campaign, the Republican National Committee and state parties, according to Federal Election Commission filings. She was also a Kentucky delegate to the Republican National Convention.