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President Trump
Donald John TrumpTrump to oust Nielsen as soon as this week: report California wildfire becomes deadliest in state's history Sinema's Senate win by LGBTQ groups MORE has announced his intention to nominate retired Gen. John Abizaid to serve as ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a key posting that comes amidst heightened tensions between the longtime allies.
Abizaid, who currently serves as a visiting fellow at Stanford University, is a former head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and is well-versed in the politics of the Middle East. He retired from the military in 2007.
The 67-year-old spent in Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. He served as Deputy Commander of CENTCOM from 2003-2007.
Abizaid's appointment has not yet been formally sent to the Senate, which will require confirmation for the role.
The job as ambassador to Saudi Arabia has been unfilled since Trump took office 22 months ago. The vacancy caused a considerable amount of tension in the fall of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post Columnist and Virginia resident, was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Turkish officials have claimed that they have been killed and their bodies have been dismembered and disposed of.
Turkish officials and U.S. lawmakers stated that Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman has been implicated in Khashoggi's death.
The Saudis have offered changing explanations for what happened, first denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts and later claiming he was killed in a "fight" gone wrong. A top Saudi official statement late last month that the killing was "premeditated."
The Turks have had an audition of Khashoggi's final moments with the United States, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany. National security adviser John Bolton said Tuesday that the audio does not appear to implicate the Saudi crown prince.
Lawmakers have called to punish Saudi Arabia with sanctions, but Trump has expressed reluctance to endanger the economic relationship between the two countries with such a move.
The Trump administration has nominated ambassadors to key roles. The Senate in recent months confirmed ambassadors to Germany and South Korea, but the roles remain unfilled in Mexico and Turkey, among other nations.
The job of ambassador to the United Nations is also in transition, as Nikki Haley
Nimrata (Nikki) HaleyU.S. think tank identified 13 undeclared missile bases in North Korea Stalled talks with North Korea Pompeo presses Beijing on South China Sea | North Korea is not ready for talks, Haley says MORE has announced his plans to leave the end of the year. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert is here, and Trump has promised an announcement about the position in the near future.
–Updated at 6:55 p.m.
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