(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The White House weighed in Tuesday for the first in a long time about the Senate GOP’s unwillingness to confirm President Obama’s ambassadorial nominees, whether political or career diplomats.
On his second day on the job, Press Secretary Josh Earnest began his daily briefing with a short lecture.
“It’s time Republicans in the Senate ended their obstruction and allowed these qualified individuals to do their important work protecting American interests around the world,” he said.
Earnest acknowledged this is “a topic that you may not have previously been following” (Loop fans would disagree), and blamed Republicans for “playing political games.” He decried the lengthy delays in confirming the 48 nominees – 26 who are through committee and pending on the Senate floor – whose suitcases are collecting dust as they await Senate confirmation. The average wait time is over eight months, Earnest said.
A reporter asked Earnest about Democrats’ opposition to one particular political appointee – Chartwell Hotels founder George Tsunis – who bungled his appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the Republican charge that the White House is sending “unqualified political nominees.”
Showing he’s adept at the podium, Earnest sidestepped by saying most of the nominees are career diplomats. He then went on to say, “it is shortsighted to automatically rule out nominees that aren’t career foreign service officers.”
Of course the Senate has confirmed its share of political appointees, more often than not known as Obama mega-bundlers, but it’s been a few weeks. In the spring, the Senate sent donors Dwight Bush to Morocco, Tim Broas to the Netherlands and Suzi LeVine to Switzerland.
While the White House hasn’t made this a priority, the State Department and Foreign Relations Chairman Rep. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) have made it a front-burner concern. Menendez last week went to the Senate floor to blast the inaction.
Colby Itkowitz is a national reporter for In The Loop.
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