Feb. 17 (UPI) — Heather Nauert announced Saturday night she has withdrawn from consideration as the U.N. ambassador.
Donald Trump never formally nominated Nauert for the post in the United Nations but on Dec. 7 the president told reporters the State Department spokeswoman was his choice to replace Nikki Haley, who departed at the end of the year.
“I am grateful to President Trump and Secretary Pompeo for the trust they placed in me for considering me for the position of US Ambassador to the United Nations,” Nauert, 49, said in a statement. “However, the past two months have been grueling for my family and therefore it is in the best interest of my family that I withdraw my name from consideration.
“Serving in the Administration for the past two years has been one of the highest honors of my life and I will always be grateful to the President, the Secretary, and my colleagues at the State Department for their support.”
She became a spokeswoman for the State Department in April 2017 after serving as a news correspondent, mostly at Fox News, since 1998.
“She’s going to work with Nikki Haley to replace Nikki at the United Nations,” Trump told reporters. “She’s very talented, very smart, very quick, and I think she’s going to be respected by all.”
In October, Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, informed Trump she wanted to leave the U.N. post by the end of the year.
The State Department said Trump will make an announcement about a new nominee soon, CNN reported.
The nomination is sent to the Senate for confirmation.
