US State Department spokeswoman under consideration for UN Ambassador

US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert is under consideration to be the next US Ambassador to the UN, according to a senior Republican official.

Nauert met President Donald Trump on Monday, the official told CNN.

The former Fox News anchor joined the State Department in April 2017 as a spokesperson and is now the Acting Undersecretary of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

She has also previously worked as a health insurance consultant, according to the State Department.

Administration officials have been scrambling to fill the position after Nikki Haley announced in early October she would resign as Ambassador to the UN by the end of the year.

Haley's decision caught senior administration officials off guard and raised questions about the timing of her departure.

She insisted she would not be running for president in 2020.

When Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, resigned, the President praised her as a "fantastic person" who has "done an incredible job" and said he would gladly welcome her back into his administration down the line.

Nauert is one of a few women the White House is considering to fill Haley's shoes.

The White House has also reached out to Nancy Brinker asking if she would be open to consideration. Brinker, the founder of the Susan G. Komen foundation, has already gone through Senate confirmation as an ambassador, the Republican official told CNN.

Kelly Craft, the current US ambassador to Canada, was considered for the post during the transition but lost out to Haley. Craft is also under consideration.

Kelly Ayotte, a former New Hampshire senator, has ties to the White House after serving as the "sherpa" for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch during his Senate confirmation hearings.

Ayotte remains close to top Trump ally South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

Another name being floated is Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is currently the US' Permanent Eepresentative to NATO, according to a US official.

--IANS

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