Asked to confirm McCain's reported nomination, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday it's an ongoing process and the president has not yet made final decisions about nominees for the "vast majority of ambassadorial nominations."
She told reporters last week that "career nominees will probably be in the first slate of nominees for ambassadors."
Fundraisers said while there’s angst among donors vying for plum spots, as is typical of any administration, supporters understand the Biden administration is using the first months in office to confront the coronavirus pandemic that has upended the U.S. economy and American life.
"Biden has appointed a very smart team so far. We're not going to have a diplomatic crisis. There may come a time when things come to a head – while we have our other two big priorities with COVID and the economy – you've got to move faster on some of this," a veteran Democratic fundraiser told USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the subject. "I think that you definitely feel the angst from people who are just trying to move through the personnel process."
In some countries, where the relationship functions well on a practical level and there are no current crises, the impact is not very severe, Rubin said. But in many capitals, extended delays in filling the ambassadorships will be seen as a serious diplomatic snub.
"Much of the world sees it as a sign of disrespect,” Rubin said. "Nobody else leaves ambassadorships vacant – and in this case, we're talking going on three months after the presidential transition.”
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