Former Dodgers owner McCourt tabbed as Trump’s French ambassador

Jamie McCourt has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as U.S. ambassador to France. McCourt once co-owned the Los Angeles Dodgers with her ex-husband. File photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI

Aug. 3 (UPI) — The Trump administration this week announced that Jamie McCourt, a former co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is the president’s pick to be U.S. ambassador to France.

McCourt holds a law degree from the University of Maryland and speaks fluent French, and maintains business interests in both Los Angeles and Boston.

“Ms. McCourt possesses a unique global perspective, having lived and worked both domestically and abroad in various industries — sports, law, finance, education and real estate,” the White House said in a statement in announcing her nomination Thursday.

McCourt needs Senate confirmation before she can take the diplomatic office.

Ambassadorships to wealthy Western allies are frequently doled out by administrations as rewards for prominent members of their party or wealthy campaign contributors. The duties are not typically steeped in diplomatic affairs and ambassadors frequently focus on social niceties and philanthropic endeavors in their host countries.

McCourt and her ex-husband, Frank McCourt, went through a highly public divorce that dragged on for two years and called into question who would eventually win control of the Dodgers. At one point, Major League Baseball assumed day-to-day control of the team when it was revealed Frank McCourt had taken out a loan to cover payroll after firing his wife and filing for divorce. After multiple attempts, the couple settled the dispute, with Jamie McCourt receiving a $130 million settlement in exchange for relinquishing her stake in the team.

Frank McCourt subsequently sold the Dodgers to its present management group.

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