Overview
- Amer Ghalib, Hamtramck’s mayor and Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Kuwait, faced sharp questioning from both parties at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
- Sen. Ted Cruz said he will vote no, and one more Republican joining Democrats could stop the nomination in committee, with no vote yet scheduled.
- Senators pressed Ghalib on denying reports of Hamas sexual violence on Oct. 7, liking antisemitic posts, calling Saddam Hussein a “martyr,” lauding the Muslim Brotherhood, supporting BDS in his city, and not rebuking a local appointee’s Holocaust remarks.
- Ghalib defended his record as misinterpreted or the result of a social‑media “bad habit,” apologized for the Saddam comment as a reaction in anger, and pledged to implement the president’s policies if confirmed.
- The White House continues to back him despite months of delays and public calls from groups including the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee to withdraw the nomination, which originated after Ghalib endorsed Trump in 2024.