The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday advanced with bipartisan support three nominees for top diplomatic posts, including one for the State Department’s No. 2 position, even as some Democrats opposed them due to concerns about their qualifications and the Trump administration’s drastic changes to longtime U.S. diplomatic and foreign aid policies.
The nominations of Christopher Landau to be deputy secretary of State, Michael Rigas to be deputy secretary of State for management and resources and Matthew Whitaker to be ambassador to NATO are now ready for the Senate floor.
Landau received the most support with a 16-6 vote. The ambassador to Mexico during President Donald Trump’s first term won some Democratic support at his confirmation hearing last week when he said he believed with “every fiber of my body in the rule of law” and would work to execute the laws that Congress passes.
