Donald Trump’s administration has approved former minister Peter Mandelson to become the UK’s ambassador to Washington, sources say.
It comes after Trump’s senior campaign advisor Chris LaCivita branded the former Minister a “moron” on social media.
It was reported that US senators passed on a file to the FBI to investigate the Labour peer’s links to China, cited as the main reason that President Trump was said to be considering declining his nomination.
However, two inside sources told Politico that the Trump regime granted Mandelson his agrément, a diplomatic term for the formal agreement to accept his appointment.
Senior adviser for the Trump campaign Chris LaCivita
Getty
Starmer’s choice of Mandelson as ambassador has been disputed in Trump’s inner circle and the wider Republican party, in part because of his past business links to China.
One senior US source told The Independent that the report Mandelson has been accepted as “hot air” adding: “Why would the senators have passed the dossier to the FBI Monday if he got his agreement last week?”
More to follow…