US President-elect Donald Trump is giving priority to relations with the Dominican Republic. Among his first ambassador appointments announced on Monday, 16 December 2024 is that of Leah Francis Campos, Trump’s choice for US ambassador to the Dominican Republic during his second term. The announcement was made via Trump’s Truth Social account. He also announced his choices for ambassadors in Uruguay, Japan, Luxembourg and Austria.
Trump expressed confidence that Campos would bring her dedication to the country’s security and prosperity to her new role as ambassador: “Leah will bring her love for the country and her commitment to our national security and prosperity to her position as US Ambassador to the Dominican Republic.”
Leah Francis Campos, Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to the Dominican Republic, served as senior advisor for the Western Hemisphere on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She previously served as a CIA case officer for the country. Campos is the sister of “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Duffy and the sister-in-law of Sean Duffy, Trump’s choice for incoming secretary of transportation.
The announcement of the nominee’s close ties to Sean Duffy are especially of interest at a time when the Dominican Republic is scheduled to enact an Open Skies Agreement that opens up travel with the United States and is expected to spur new airline frequencies and the opening of travel from new airports in the United States. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a US federal government agency within the US Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in the United States and surrounding international waters.
Campos will fill a vacancy that has existed since 2021, when Robin Bernstein left her post following the change of administration in Washington, D.C. The Biden administration on two occasions named ambassadors to the Dominican Republic, but the country never got an ambassador.
In late 2023, President Biden nominated Juan Carlos Iturregui, a Puerto Rican, for the post, but the nomination did not come to fruition. The Biden administration had earlier named long-time Georgia state representative, Calvin Smyre to the position, but he was later named to be the ambassador of The Bahamas. He never got to serve in that country when his appointment was not confirmed.
Instead of a permanent ambassador to the Dominican Republic, the US appointed a series of chargé d’affaires: Robert W. Thomas, followed by Isiah Parnell and current Patricia Aguilera.
The nominee will need to be confirmed by the US Senate. The Republican party has majority in both houses of the US Congress and thus should be confirmed.
Via X, US Representative (NY-13) Adriano Espaillat congratulated Leah Francis Campos on the nomination. He wrote: “I look forward to working closely with her and the dedicated professionals at the Dominican Embassy in Santo Domingo to further strengthen the relationship between the Dominican Republic and the United States.”
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Diario Libre
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17 December 2024