The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations confirmed (15 votes in favor, 3 against) veteran diplomat Antony Blinken as Secretary of State yesterday, thus paving the way for a plenary vote within the week.
Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, the chairperson of the committee, expressed hope that the plenary would vote today.
Antony Blinken, a longtime aide to Democratic President Joe Biden, had won Senate approval in the past, most recently when he was Deputy Secretary of State during Barack Obama’s administration.
Antony Blinken, a former staff director of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, was praised by officials from both parties.
The process of Blinken’s confirmation to this key post did not begin as early as usual in the US, as former President Donald Trump did not concede defeat in the November election.
Daniel Smith, the former director of the Foreign Service Institute, serves as the acting secretary of state.
Source: ANA-MPA