Foreign affairs commentator Richard Grenell is set to be nominated by President Donald Trump as U.S. ambassador to Germany, a White House source confirmed to Newsmax.
Grenell, who was the longest-serving U.S. spokesman at the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration, has been an international news analyst on Fox News and heads his own media communications firm.
Once confirmed, the new ambassador will face challenges. The Trump administration's relations with Germany have been strained and the president has complained to Chancellor Angela Merkel that her open-door policy for refugees created an opening for potential terrorists. Trump also indicated that Germany has not paid its fair share of military spending on NATO.
By picking Grenell, 50, an early supporter of his presidential campaign, Trump is signaling to Merkel that she will have a direct conduit to the White House.
"The president wanted a seasoned foreign affairs person who conveys his messaging to the Germans and other Europeans," a White House source said. "Grenell was the right person to do that."
Grenell has an extensive resume in domestic politics as a prominent gay Republican. On the international front, he has long been a hardliner in dealing with terrorism and rogue states like Iran and North Korea.
In 2012, Mitt Romney picked him as his top national security adviser during his presidential bid. Previously Grenell advised Sen. John McCain, former New York Gov. George Pataki, and former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp of Michigan.
In 2001, Grenell was tapped by Bush to be director of communications and public diplomacy for the U.S. delegation to the United Nations, serving under four U.S. ambassadors.
At the U.N. he also held status as an alternative voting member of the Security Council. In that capacity, Grenell worked closely with the German delegation on issues ranging from international sanctions for weapon proliferation to reform of the U.N. bureaucracy.
Though he been touted as the U.S. ambassador to NATO, Grenell is now expected to be the White House's key point man for European matters.
Grenell's appointment comes at a time when the Trump administration has been widely faulted for failing to fill some 67 ambassadorial slots. These have included such key posts as the ambassadorships to Italy, Greece, France, Mexico, and Germany.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now
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