On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously voted to advance former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman’s nomination to be the next ambassador to Russia.
Huntsman’s nomination now moves to the full Senate floor, where it is expected to meet very little opposition.
Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, praised Huntsman on Tuesday as “very well-qualified” and said he wants to get him to Moscow “as soon as possible.”
At his confirmation hearing last week, Huntsman vowed to keep Russian officials accountable as the United States’ top envoy there. The former GOP presidential candidate also stressed that there is “no question” the Russian government interfered in the U.S. election last year, and that “Moscow continues to meddle in the democratic processes of our friends and allies.
“I will also not hesitate to remind government officials that they are accountable,” Huntsman said during his hearing. “Exhibit A is the fact that interference in the U.S. election has led directly to the current low level of trust in the relationship.”
