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Amos Hochstein, a former energy official under Obama, at a 2017 event. Photo: Lukas Schulze/Getty Images
A former top energy official in President Obama’s State Department is urging Senate Democrats to support the nomination of President Trump’s nominee for the same post.
Why it matters: Bipartisanship is nearly extinct in this Washington, particularly when it comes to Trump’s appointees. This support, conveyed in a letter sent to all Senate Democrats May 9 and viewed by Axios, is a sign that energy as a geopolitical issue is less polarizing than most others, even others in the same arena like climate change and coal.
Gritty details: The letter, authored by Amos Hochstein, Obama’s top energy envoy for the last couple of years of his administration, supports the nomination of Frank Fannon, for that same position.
- Fannon is a former lobbyist with Australian mining and energy producer BHP Billiton who last year helped found a bipartisan energy consultancy.
What they're saying: “I have known Frank Fannon for many years," Hochstein wrote in the letter, "and while he and I do not agree on every policy matter, I know he has the combination of energy expertise, respect for the role of diplomacy, and appreciate for the important role Congress plays that will make him successful."
What’s next: Fannon faces a vote in a Senate committee today.