Trump appoints Conair heir who promoted conspiracy theories to head US consulate in Bermuda
Republicans and Democrats had already rejected his nomination for another role.
By
Conor Finnegan
May 30, 2020, 3:05 AM
8 min read
The Trump administration has appointed a controversial Republican donor and businessman to head the U.S. consulate general in Bermuda, bypassing bipartisan opposition to his nomination to be a U.S. ambassador.
Lee Rizzuto, heir to the Conair Corporation fortune, was nominated by President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019 to be the U.S. envoy to Barbados and other Caribbean island countries, but his nomination was sunk by Senate Republicans and Democrats after his controversial tweets promoting a conspiracy theory about Sen. Ted Cruz's wife and trashing Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, and others came to light.
His new appointment has sparked criticism for the message it sends America's closest neighbors and the State Department's rank and file, many of whom were upset with the decision.
"Mr. Rizzuto was deemed unqualified to lead a U.S. mission overseas by the Republican-held United States Senate. President Trump's decision to install him at the head of the consulate general in Bermuda betrays a lack of respect for the Senate, for Bermudans and the broader Caribbean community, and for the crucial work of American diplomats," said Michael Camilleri of the Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank in Washington focused on the Western Hemisphere.
Denise Rizzuto and Leandro Rizzuto Jr. attend Country Comes To Mar-a-Lago at Mar-a-Lago, Feb. 23, 2019, in Palm Beach, Fla.
Patrick McMullan via Getty Image
More:
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-appoints-conair-heir-promoted-conspiracy-theories-head/story?id=70939625
= new reply since forum marked as read
