Senate Republicans are getting ready to turn against yet another pick by President Donald Trump.
At least four Republican members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have expressed opposition to Amer Ghalib’s nomination as U.S. ambassador to Kuwait over a history of social media posts perceived as antisemitic and policies supporting Palestinians.
Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas, John Curtis of Utah, and Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania have signaled that they will vote against Ghalib’s nomination, according to Politico and Punchbowl News. Ghalib—who is mayor of majority-Muslim Hamtramck, Michigan, can only afford to lose three Republican votes.
“I was a ‘no’ even before the hearing,” Curtis told Politico.
Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts is still on the fence, telling the outlet that he planned to have conversations with committee chairman Jim Risch about Ghalib.
Senators grilled Ghalib on his views during a tense hearing last week. Under his tenure as the first Muslim mayor of Hamtramck, the small Michigan city passed a 2022 resolution condemning antisemitism, a 2024 resolution supporting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement against Israel, and renamed a street “Palestine Avenue” in support of Gaza.
The fiery hearing centered around a myriad of Facebook posts made by Ghalib that called Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who invaded Kuwait, a martyr and another that called the Muslim Brotherhood an “inspiration.” Senators also called out Ghalib for liking a Facebook comment that referred to jews as “monkeys.”
Ghalib distanced himself from many of the posts dug up by senators, arguing that they were made before he was elected mayor in 2021, while others were wrongly translated from Arabic. He admitted to having a “bad habit” of engaging with every comment under his posts.
“I am concerned that your stated public positions are markedly in conflict with the views of President Trump and with the positions of the United States,” Cruz told Ghalib during the hearing.
Democratic senators on the committee were equally critical of Ghalib.
“I don’t think you are qualified to serve in this role,” Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said. “I think that you have dug your hole deeper today.”
Trump nominated Ghalib as ambassador to Kuwait in May, writing in a Truth Social post that “Amer worked hard to help us secure a Historic Victory in Michigan.”
The White House and Ghalib did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post after the hearing, Ghalib revealed that Trump expressed continued support for him in a phone call.
“As always, I felt his loyalty, sincerity, and unwavering support,” he wrote. “Though my Senate hearing offered no opportunity to discuss my knowledge of Kuwait or my plans for strengthening U.S.-Kuwaiti relations, I remain fully prepared and deeply committed to serving effectively.”
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier gave a similarly icy reception to Joel Rayburn, Trump’s pick for Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, who sparred with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in his own hearing.
A source familiar with the matter told the Daily Beast on Monday that the White House yanked Rayburn’s nomination because he lacked the votes.
Last week, Paul Ingrassia withdrew himself for consideration to lead the Office of Special Counsel after a bombshell Politico report revealed that he allegedly used racial and antisemitic slurs in a group chat, at one point admitting that he had a “Nazi streak.”
“I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday’s HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,” Ingrassia said on X.
