Biden administration considers Rahm Emanuel for senior ambassadorship
China and Japan are among the diplomatic posts the former Chicago mayor could be chosen for
US President Joe Biden is reportedly lining up former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel for a high profile ambassadorship - with China considered a strong possibility - according to three people with knowledge of the matter, reported NBC News.
One of those same people also said that the Biden administration was considering offering Emanuel the ambassadorship of Japan.
He became chief of staff when former President Barack Obama took office in 2009. He has a reputation for pugnacity, who represents a more blue dog Democrat perspective, which has seen him clash with the ascendant progressive wing of the party.
He is also a well-known figure in Democratic politics who would bring notoriety to an ambassadorship, reported NBC. He is one of the dozens of figures that the Biden administration is considering to fill positions in capitals across the world.
Both Democrat and Republican presidents have previously selected individuals with high name recognition to represent the United States in both Beijing and Tokyo.
"Obama selected Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican, as ambassador to China — a move Emanuel played a role in as White House chief of staff." Former vice president Walter Mondale was the US ambassador to Japan during the Clinton administration.
Reports also surfaced that Emanuel's name was floated internally to fill the role in one of the United States' most sensitive placements - namely that of ambassador to Israel. However, a supposedly anonymous source, according to NBC, said that the idea was quickly nixed in light of the personal enmity between Emanuel and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.