Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on her nomination to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., January 27, 2021.
Michael Reynolds | Pool | Reuters
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Linda Thomas-Greenfield as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
She was confirmed by a vote of 78-20.
Thomas-Greenfield has a lengthy career serving as an international diplomat, with most of the time dedicated to U.S. efforts in Africa. The Louisiana native an ambassador to Liberia and assistant secretary of State for African Affairs during the Obama administration.
During her Jan. 27 confirmation hearing, she was peppered about questions regarding her policy approach to China.
Critics, including GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, said she had gone too easy on China in a 2019 speech at an institute that had been suspected of pushing Chinese propaganda.
In response, Thomas-Greenfield called the speech a mistake and vowed to limit Beijing’s influence at U.N. general assembly meetings.
