Scoop: Rand Paul stalls Mike Waltz nomination for UN ambassador
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Sen. Rand Paul at the U.S. Capitol on June 27. Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is complicating Mike Waltz's nomination to be ambassador to the United Nations, dealing a potential setback to Trump's former national security adviser, sources familiar with the matter tell Axios.
Why it matters: Paul's concerns with Waltz forced the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to delay an expected Wednesday vote on the nomination. The committee is now in recess.
- Some Republicans are still hopeful that Paul can be convinced to fully support Waltz or that one or more Democrats will decide to back him in committee, according to people familiar with the matter.
- "Mike Waltz is incredibly qualified to serve as US Ambassador to the United Nations, and he has demonstrated his commitment to President Trump's America First foreign policy agenda," said Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson.
- "The Senate should quickly confirm him."
What he's saying: When asked if he plans to support Waltz, Paul told Axios: "They pulled it for now, we're going to see what happens over the next week."
- "If you want to report my opinion," he continued, "I had an exchange in the committee last week — that's probably the best thing to report."
Between the lines: Paul informed Chair Jim Risch yesterday that he would vote to advance Waltz's nomination but "without recommendation," according to a Paul spokesperson.
- That would have allowed the committee to send Waltz to the floor, but without a favorable recommendation, creating a cloud over his nomination.
- The chair decided to delay the committee vote to try to find a way to report Waltz to the floor under better circumstances.
Zoom out: Paul grilled Waltz in his confirmation hearing last week, demanding to know why he tried, as a House member, to force Trump to keep 8,000 troops in Afghanistan.
- "The idea that Congress should be involved with declaring war is sort of passé. It's old-fashioned. But when it comes to ending a war, you voted with Liz Cheney and the others to say that the president couldn't end the war," Paul said in a heated exchange.
The intrigue: Some Democrats are privately concerned about who Trump might nominate if Waltz goes down, citing their deep misgivings about other rumored candidates, like Richard Grenell, Trump's ambassador to Germany in his first term.
The bottom line: Waltz still might be reported out of committee in the coming days.
- But if Paul stays non-committal, Waltz would need at least one Democratic vote to make it to the floor, where his chances are better.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include quote from the White House and a Paul spokesperson.
