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President Trump announced Friday night that he will appoint Kelly Knight Craft, US Ambassador to Canada and a major Republican donor, United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
Craft is about to succeed Nikki Haley, pending confirmation from the Senate. Haley left the US post at the end of last year. Craft is Trump's second choice to replace Haley, after her first candidate, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, withdrew from the discussion last week before being formally named.
Trump praised the mandate of Craft, which described its administration in Ottawa as exceptional when it was announced on Twitter.
"I am pleased to announce that our current ambassador to Canada, Kelly Knight Craft, is appointed United States Ambassador to the United Nations," said Trump. "Kelly has done a great job in representing our nation and I have no doubt that under his leadership our country will be represented at the highest level. Congratulations to Kelly and all his family!
Trump had announced that Nauert would be his choice last December, but she was never officially named. She withdrew from the discussion by citing family concerns. Those familiar with the situation stated that Nauert had employed a nanny who was not allowed to work in the United States.
If confirmed, it is unlikely that Craft will be in the same Cabinet position as Haley's condition. Without this rank, the next US ambassador will probably not attend as many White House meetings as Haley and may have less influence.
Craft, 56, was a Kentucky business leader and philanthropist before becoming an ambassador to Canada. Her husband, Joe Craft, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Resource Partners.
The couple is a major Republican donor, having donated about $ 1.5 million to the GOP candidates in 2016, including $ 270,800 to the Trump committee or its joint fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee.
The Crafts have also been loyal and well paid customers at Trump 's DC hotel, according to a list of "VIP Arrivals" distributed to hotel staff on June 19, 2018. This list, obtained by the Washington Post, was intended to help staff identify the most important customers of the hotel upon their arrival.
The Artisans were classified as Gold Level Members of the Trump Card Rewards Program, recording a three-day stay. They were also described as "high-speed" customers and their registration was marked R (20), according to former Trump hotel employees, indicating customers who stayed at least 20 times. This was an unusually high number, among the hundreds of Trump hotel guests whose VIP listings were reviewed by The Post.
Kelly Craft was sworn in as ambassador to Canada in September 2017. The position of US Representative in Ottawa is a diplomatic diplomat, but a less coveted position than that of European capitals.
People looking for a replacement for Haley focused on candidates who had already been confirmed by the Senate for a current or previous position, people who were familiar with the selection process said. Craft also has an ongoing security clearance, another benefit, said these people.
Craft, which is not a well-known public name, would lower the public profile of American work after Haley, whose notoriety as a former South Carolina governor and national GOP star had helped project Trump's foreign policy, but whose independence was sometimes encumbered.
Craft hit the headlines shortly after taking office in Canada, when she handed over to Canadian Broadcasting Corp. News that she believed "on both sides" of the climate change debate.
"I think science on both sides is right," Craft told the Canadian broadcaster. "Both parties have their own results from their studies, and I appreciate and respect both sides of the science."
Climate change is a major problem at the United Nations, which has sponsored the 2015 Paris climate agreements that President Trump has disavowed.
In the interview, Craft said that the United States can still fight climate change despite the withdrawal of the international pact.
"We all have the same goal: to improve our environment and preserve it," she said.
David A. Fahrenthold and Anu Narayanswamy contributed to this report.
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