President Trump has decided to nominate Callista Gingrich, the wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, and hopes to make the announcement before Trump meets with Pope Francis on May 24, CNN and The New York Times report. Newt Gingrich said in January that his wife was "under consideration" for the Holy See ambassadorship, but once Trump decided, "the announcement has taken longer than expected pending approval from the Office of Government Ethics," CNN says, citing "an administration official."
Over recent months, The New York Times adds, "Gingrich and her husband grew increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of the vetting process, and Ms. Gingrich even threatened to take her name out of the running." She wasn't Trump's first top candidate — former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) reportedly took himself out of consideration, saying that taking the job would cause too much financial strain on his family.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'A speaker courageous enough to stand up to the extremists in his own party'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
-
Today's political cartoons - April 18, 2024Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - impeachment Peanuts, record-breaking temperatures, and more
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claimsSpeed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aidSpeed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of warSpeed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picksSpeed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
-
How will Israel respond to Iran's direct attack?Speed Read Iran’s weekend attack on Israel could escalate into a wider Middle East war
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikesSpeed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
-
Congress honors real-life Rosie the RivetersSpeed Read These American women reshaped the work force during World War II
-
Outgunned Ukraine could fall, US general warnsSpeed Read Without more US aid, Ukraine is at risk of losing the war
