Biden nominates ambassadors to Brazil and the United Kingdom

The White House said Wednesday that President Joe Biden will nominate veteran diplomat Elizabeth Bagley as US ambassador to Brazil.

A lawyer, Bagley served as a diplomat during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and served as a senior advisor to Secretaries of State John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Madeleine Albright. She was ambassador to Portugal during Clinton’s presidency.

In addition, Biden will nominate prominent Democratic fundraiser Gene Hartley as ambassador to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and donor Alan Leventhal as envoy to Denmark.

The Associated Press reported in July that Biden had decided to run Hartley’s embassy in Britain. Ambassador of France and Monaco during the Obama presidency, she was a top fundraiser for Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign and has been a strong supporter of Democratic candidates over the years.

Hartley is on the Board of Directors of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Supervisory Board of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He also chairs the board of directors of Sesame Workshop, a non-profit organization that produces “Sesame Street”.

“Given the critical challenges we face at this time, the relationship with our allies is extremely important,” Hartley said in a statement. “I look forward to strengthening our special relationship with the UK and deepening our partnership with one of our most important allies.”

Leventhal, president and CEO of financial firm Beacon Capital, was one of the Wall Street executives who helped Biden raise money for his campaign.

It is customary for presidents to reward their most prominent donors and supporters with coveted embassies. 44% of Donald Trump’s ambassadors have been political appointments, compared to 31% for Obama and 32% for George W. Bush, according to the American Foreign Service Association. Biden hopes to keep political appointments for 30% of diplomats, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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All candidates must receive confirmation from the Senate.

Sacha Woodward

"Wannabe writer. Lifelong problem solver. Gamer. Incurable web guru. Professional music lover."

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