Trump to nominate Nauert as next UN ambassador

US President Donald Trump has planned to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert to replace Nikki Haley as his new ambassador to the UN.

Trump is expected to make the announcement Friday morning, informed sources told CBS News.

Nauert has been on the short list for ambassador to the UN since Haley announced that she was stepping down from her post in October.

Formerly a Fox News anchor, she came to the administration in 2017 with no prior government experience.

She will have to be confirmed by the Senate to secure her position, where Democrats will likely grill Nauert on her qualifications for the position.

In her new role, Nauert would be responsible for maintaining international support for economic sanctions against North Korea and continuing the Trump administration's unflinching support for Israel in the face of mounting scrutiny at the UN, reports The Washington Post.

A former news reporter for ABC, Nauert joined Fox in 1996, originally as a correspondent and later as a co-host for "Fox and Friends".

Nauert has earned a reputation as a stalwart defender of the President even through the turbulent tenure of Trump's first Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson.

A senior administration official told The Washington Post said Nauert would be "an outstanding advocate for the American people at the UN".

"She's hard-working, she's smart and she never gives up in advancing an agenda that works for the US," the official said.

--IANS

ksk