The US Senate on Tuesday approved the nomination of Thomas Rose as US Ambassador to Poland. Senators voted on a package of nominations for various positions, which included over one hundred appointments. Fifty-one senators voted in favor of the package and 47 against.

This year, President Donald Trump nominated Thomas Rose for the position of Ambassador to Poland. Rose is a right-wing columnist, radio commentator and former advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, known for his strongly pro-Israel views. From 1997 to 2005, he served as a publisher and editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post. He served in the Indiana state government, where he is from, and in the 1980s, he worked for a Japanese television station. He wrote "Big Miracle," about the operation to free whales from sheet ice, which was adapted into a film by Hollywood in 2012.

During a July Senate committee hearing, Rose praised Poland as an exemplary ally. He declared that he would strive to improve a relationship between Poland and Israel, saying that Poland was unfairly blamed in Israel for complicity in the Holocaust. Rose also stated that his relations with the Polish government and the political opposition were excellent and that he would not favor political affiliation.

Photo: Unites States Senate

In September, he received the support of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, although no Democratic politician voted for his nomination. It was the second committee vote on Trump's nominee; the first, in late July, produced the same result, but due to an oversight, the formal vote had to be repeated.

The Senate vote was along party lines, with Republicans voting for the nomination. The package contained over one hundred nominations for various positions, including ambassadorships. Thanks to changes to the rules introduced by Republicans, it is now possible to vote on entire groups of presidential nominees. This is the second time the Senate has voted this way.

Photo: Public domain

This article was prepared as part of the public task commissioned under the Government Programme for the Development of Civic Organizations 2018–2030: “Safe Poland of Tomorrow – strengthening the mission-driven activities of the Alioth Foundation.”