To Moscow, Trump's choice for envoy makes Russian thaw less likely

[DonViejo]

Last edited Thu Mar 9, 2017, 03:50 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Reuters


09 MAR 2017 AT 12:52 ET

Reports that Jon Huntsman will become the next U.S. ambassador to Russia stirred anxiety in Moscow on Thursday, with one politician calling him a hawk and pro-Kremlin media recalling what they said was his worrying history of hostile rhetoric.

An official in U.S. President Donald Trumps administration said on Wednesday that Huntsman, a one-time Republican presidential candidate and ambassador to China and Singapore, had accepted Trumps offer to represent the United States in Moscow, a move that needs Senate confirmation.

With U.S.-Russia relations at their worst since the Cold War and Russia a politically toxic issue in Washington as hacking and influence-peddling scandals threaten to erupt, Russian officials are looking for clues as to where the troubled relationship might be going.

The choice of nominee for U.S. ambassador in Moscow says a lot, said Alexei Pushkov, a Senator who has in the past said he hoped that Trump could deliver better U.S.-Russia ties.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/to-moscow-trumps-choice-for-envoy-makes-russian-thaw-less-likely/

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Why Was Huntsman Picked for Russia Ambassador?

March 9, 2017 By Taegan Goddard

James Hohmann: “Donald Trump has blocked several people who opposed him during the campaign from getting jobs in his administration. So why has he reportedly chosen Jon Huntsman to be the U.S. ambassador to Russia?”

“The 56-year-old has earned a reputation as someone who ingratiates himself with his patron of the moment but whose long-term loyalty cannot be counted on. His critics – including some who have worked with him – complain privately that he’s always thinking about how he can climb the next step up the ladder. When his name comes up around this town, one often hears words like craven and opportunistic.”

Also interesting: “Another person breathing a sigh of relief is Orrin Hatch. There’s been rampant speculation in Utah that Huntsman might challenge the 82-year-old senator for the GOP nomination next year. He won’t be able to do that from Moscow.”

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https://politicalwire.com/2017/03/09/huntsman-picked-russia-ambassador/

[OKNancy]

1. In other words, he is sane

[nycbos]

2. Huntsman isn't a bad guy.

He accepted Obama's appointment as ambassador to China. To paraphrase what he said "putting country before party.

[frazzled]

3. He's a toady and an opportunist: he'll do whatever Trump says to do

From today's WaPo:

The 56-year-old has earned a reputation as someone who ingratiates himself with his patron of the moment but whose long-term loyalty cannot be counted on. His critics — including some who have worked with him — complain privately that he’s always thinking about how he can climb the next step up the ladder. When his name comes up around this town, one often hears words like craven and opportunistic.

While others from the Republican establishment were signing Never Trump letters last year, Huntsman was singing Trump’s praises. Elise Viebeck reported last October that “the theory in foreign policy circles” was that he “wanted to be secretary of state badly enough he was willing to risk his credibility on Trump.”

...

But Huntsman seemed to calculate after David Fahrenthold uncovered the 2005 “Access Hollywood” video of Trump boasting about groping women that he could no longer win. So, just weeks before the election, he called on Trump to drop out of the race. ...
After Trump won, though, Huntsman changed his tune again. As the foreign policy firmament fretted about Trump’s phone conversation with the leader of Taiwan, Huntsman surprised many of his old friends by rushing to the president-elect’s defense on Fox News and in the New York Times.

. . .

If Trump continues to pursue rapprochement with the Kremlin, suspicions will run very high about his motives, and Huntsman will be called upon to defend the policy as beneficial to the national interest.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/03/09/daily-202-jon-huntsman-s-strange-odyssey-to-become-donald-trump-s-man-in-moscow/58c0b326e9b69b1406c75d52/?utm_term=.5516c6f8d44e