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.”