Trump names Heather Nauert as next U.N. ambassador

Dec. 7 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Friday he's nominating State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, to replace the outgoing Nikki Haley.

If confirmed by the Senate, Nauert would assume the U.S. ambassador job at the end of the year.

Nauert has been a news correspondent since 1998, mostly at Fox News. She primarily worked as a health insurance consultant in Washington, D.C., and became a spokeswoman for the State Department in April 2017.

"She's going to work with Nikki Haley to replace Nikki at the United Nations," Trump told reporters at the White House Friday. "She's very talented, very smart, very quick, and I think she's going to be respected by all."

Trump also nominated William Barr Friday to succeed Jeff Sessions as U.S. attorney general.

When former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired earlier this year, Nauert was promoted to acting under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs. In October, she lost that title but kept the responsibilities.

Nauert is personally close to Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, both senior advisers at the White House. She's also close to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

When Nauert's name came up last month as a potential replacement for Haley, Trump praised her.

"She's been a supporter for a long time, and she's really excellent," he said then.

Haley announced in October she would resign at the end of the year. She called the job an honor of a lifetime and said she wants to let someone else take it.

"My goal is that we make sure everything is in a good place for the next ambassador to come in," Haley told reporters in October.

Haley also dismissed the possibility of running for president in 2020, saying she will support Trump's re-election campaign.