Senate delays vote on Trump's pick for Azerbaijan

Washington D.C./30.11.18/Turan: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has delayed a vote on the nomination of Lee Litzenberger to be Ambassador to Azerbaijan after one of the senators, whose support was crucial to moving the nomination to the full Senate, voiced his concerns over the Administration's current policy towards Azerbaijan, TURAN's U.S. correspondent was informed by a congressional source.

It was not unusual for a Senator to put a hold on a nominee, the source said, without detailing any more information. In the meantime, the source added that "most holds are eventually overcome."

The postponed vote was initially scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
It's unclear if the Committee will hold another business meeting before the Senators leave town for recess in mid-December.

The move has led to speculation about a recess appointment. The president can use it to appoint nominees when Congress is out of session. Circumventing the will of a senator can be a dangerous prospect. But in this case, some say Mr. Trump has little to fear.

Another prospect for Amb. Litzenberger is getting his nomination vote by the new Senate in January.

In the meantime, Senate sources are yet hopeful that the nomination of Amb. Litzenberger - along with more than dozen of other Ambassador nominees who are currently waiting for the Committee confirmation - can still be "squeezed in at the last moment" in December.

A.Raufoglu