Among the positions Donald Trump has yet to fill is ambassador to the Vatican. But the White House is reportedly planning to nominate Callista Gingrich as soon as this week.
According to CNN, the wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is expected to be nominated following approval from the Office of Government Ethics, and before Trump’s May 24 meeting with Pope Francis in Rome.
Callista currently runs a multimedia company with her husband and is the author of multiple New York Times bestselling children’s books featuring patriotic themes. She is also credited with converting her husband — with whom she had a years-long affair during his marriage to then-wife Marianne — to Catholicism.
The former Republican presidential candidate confirmed that his wife was under consideration following the inauguration but declined to confirm or deny that she would be nominated when reached by the New York Times for comment. Newt played an active role in Trump’s campaign and was once considered a front-runner for vice president. Some sources have suggested Callista is being considered to get Newt out of the president’s hair.
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Religious conservatives expressed concerns about Callista’s moral compass when her husband ran for president in 2012, wondering what message it would send to put a couple whose relationship was steeped in infidelity in the White House. Now, she’ll be taking that history to the Holy See.
The last ambassador to the Vatican under President Barack Obama was Kenneth Hackett, who previously served as president of Catholic Relief Services. Former Sen. Rick Santorum had previously been considered for the position, but the New York Times reports that he withdrew his name for financial reasons.
