Jeff Flake confirmed as new US envoy to Turkey

Approved by Senate, former Republican lawmaker replaces outgoing Ambassador David Satterfield.

Jeff Flake endorsed Democratic President Joe Biden when Biden ran for the White House against Trump in 2020.
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Jeff Flake endorsed Democratic President Joe Biden when Biden ran for the White House against Trump in 2020.

US Senate has confirmed former Senator Jeff Flake to be United States' new envoy to Ankara following a months-long impasse.

The chamber approved the former lawmaker from Arizona through a voice vote on Tuesday following the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's October 19 approval of Flake's nomination.

Flake will now succeed outgoing envoy David Satterfield.

READ MORE: Trump to nominate Satterfield ambassador to Turkey

Nominated in mid-July, Flake was a key Republican ally for Biden during last year's White House race and endorsed the Democratic then-nominee after establishing himself as a Republican long at odds with former president Donald Trump.

Flake served in both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his time in Congress, which spanned nearly two decades.

Flake was among a bevy of State Department nominees held up by Senator Ted Cruz. 

Legislative maneuvering

The Texas Republican staged a months-long effort to stymy diplomatic nominations from being taken up within the Senate in a failed bid to get the Biden administration to impose sanctions on those involved in a pipeline that will transport gas from Russia to Germany and the wider European Union.

US President Joe Biden has refused to impose the economic penalties and struck a deal with Germany to assuage the US' largely geopolitical concerns over the pipeline. 

Nonetheless, Cruz – a Republican who has irked many in his own party as well as Biden's Democrats – continued his protest.

Over five dozen nominees to fill critical diplomatic roles were left in limbo by his legislative maneuvering.

READ MORE: The tumultuous tenure of John Bass

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