US President Joe Biden will start to roll out his nominees for ambassadorship positions this week, and former State Department official Thomas R. Nides “has emerged as the likely candidate for ambassador to Israel,” the Washington Post reported on Tuesday night.
Nides is currently the Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley, working with global clients and external and governmental affairs issues. He previously served as deputy secretary of state for management and resources under Hillary Clinton from 2011 to 2013. He was also awarded the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award in January 2013.
.@J_Insider: “Tom Nides expected to be Biden’s ambassador to Israel” https://t.co/PmPjmpXUU3
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) April 28, 2021
Nides was born to a Jewish family in Duluth, Minnesota. He started his career on Capitol Hill in various positions, including as assistant to the House Majority Whip and executive assistant to the Speaker of the House. He later spent a decade as chief of staff for several members of congress before pivoting to the banking sector in 1996.
According to his biography on the State Department’s website, before joining Morgan Stanley, Nides served as Worldwide President and Chief Executive Officer of Burson-Marsteller and as Chief Administrative Officer of Credit Suisse First Boston, the investment banking division of Zurich-based Credit Suisse Group.
Other names for the that have come up in the past include: Amos Hochstein, the Obama administration’s special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs; former Democratic rep. Robert Wexler and businessman Michael Adler, a longtime friend of the president.
Changes already happening.
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) January 20, 2021
A follower noticed that the US Ambassador to Israel’s Twitter account now says “US Ambassador to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza”
Noting that the US under Biden does not recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the West Bank and Gaza pic.twitter.com/ZVqviFcFjB
Hochstein, who was born and raised in Israel and served in the IDF, has been frequently interviewed in the Israeli media about Biden in recent months.
According to the Washington Post’s report, other nominees that are being considered for ambassadorship roles are Cindy McCain, the widow of Senator John McCain who is up to serve as envoy to the World Food Program, and former Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel for ambassador to Japan.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
