Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is throwing a wrench into Mike Waltz’s nomination to serve as ambassador to the United Nations, potentially jeopardizing the confirmation of Trump’s former national security adviser, sources familiar with the situation told Axios.
Paul’s objections to Waltz prompted the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to postpone a planned vote on the nomination set for Wednesday. With the committee now in recess, some Republicans remain optimistic that Paul might be swayed to support Waltz, or that one or more Democrats could step in to advance the nomination, according to sources familiar with the discussions who spoke with Axios.
“Mike Waltz is incredibly qualified to serve as US Ambassador to the United Nations, and he has demonstrated his commitment to President Trump’s America First foreign policy agenda,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly. “The Senate should quickly confirm him.”
When asked if he plans to support Waltz, Paul told the outlet: “They pulled it for now, we’re going to see what happens over the next week.”
He added: “If you want to report my opinion, I had an exchange in the committee last week — that’s probably the best thing to report.”
Paul informed Chair Jim Risch yesterday that he would vote to advance Waltz’s nomination, but only “without recommendation,” according to a spokesperson. While that would have allowed the committee to send Waltz’s nomination to the Senate floor, it would have done so without a favorable endorsement—casting a shadow over the process.
In response, Risch opted to delay the vote in hopes of finding a way to move the nomination forward under more favorable terms.
During last week’s confirmation hearing, Paul sharply questioned Waltz, pressing him on why, as a member of the House, he had pushed to compel Trump to maintain 8,000 troops in Afghanistan, said Axios.
“The idea that Congress should be involved with declaring war is sort of passé. It’s old-fashioned. But when it comes to ending a war, you voted with Liz Cheney and the others to say that the president couldn’t end the war,” said Paul during what was reported as a “heated exchange.”
Some Democrats have privately expressed concern over who Trump might nominate if Waltz’s bid fails, pointing to serious reservations about other rumored contenders—particularly Richard Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first term.
“Waltz still might be reported out of committee in the coming days,” Axios reported, adding: “But if Paul stays non-committal, Waltz would need at least one Democratic vote to make it to the floor, where his chances are better.”
Last week Paul once again referring former top immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci to the Justice Department following recent revelations regarding former President Joe Biden’s prolific use of an autopen.
Paul announced the referral – his second to the DOJ regarding Fauci – after reports claimed that Biden may not have personally known about or directed a pardon he granted to the former long-time head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
“In July 2023, I referred Dr. Anthony Fauci to the Department of Justice for lying under oath to Congress. His own emails directly contradicted his sworn testimony,” said Paul, according to a pres release from his office.
“The New York Times reports Fauci was quietly pardoned by an autopen, operated by Biden’s staff. If the President didn’t authorize this pardon personally, then the Department has a duty to investigate and prosecute as it would any ordinary citizen. Fauci has been sainted by the extremist Left, but it doesn’t erase his lying before Congress,” he added.
The press release added: “According to the report, Biden did not directly authorize all the clemency grants issued in his name, and some documents were altered by staff before being signed—without any documented presidential review or approval.”