President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced that he is nominating former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), a Republican who endorsed Biden during his presidential run last year, as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

Flake served as a senator representing Arizona from 2013 to 2019 and as the representative in the lower house from 2001 to 2013.

“With this nomination, the Biden Administration reaffirms the best tradition of American foreign policy and diplomacy: the credo that partisan politics should stop at the water’s edge. U.S. foreign policy can and should be bipartisan,” Flake said in a statement following the announcement. “That is my belief as well and my commitment.”

Flake was one of several former GOP lawmakers to declare their endorsement for Biden.

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If Flake is confirmed officially, he will be heading to Turkey amid a trying time of the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

The former senator was a frequent critic of President Donald Trump. He retired in 2019 rather than face a challenge from the right. Democrat Mark Kelly eventually won the seat.

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Dongyoon Shin

Article by Dongyoon Shin