Ryan Nicol
Former Rep. Robert Wexler is reportedly one of two finalists to serve as President Joe Biden’s Ambassador to Israel.
According to Forward’s Jacob Kornbluh, Wexler is on the President’s shortlist alongside Tom Nides, a veteran of the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama administrations. Biden could name his choice as soon as this week.
The Washington Post pegged Nides as the favorite for the position. But Kornbluh’s report shows Wexler remains in the running with notable support from Secretary of State Tony Blinken.
Wexler represented parts of South Florida in Congress for more than a decade, from 1997 to 2010. He also served six years in the state Senate, from 1990 to 1996.
In 2010, Wexler resigned from Congress after being named executive director of the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation, a Washington think tank.
During his House tenure, Wexler was well-versed on Israeli issues and seen as a strong pro-Israel Democrat. Shortly after his departure from Congress, Wexler was even floated as a potential Ambassador to Israel under the Obama administration.
Now, more than a decade later, Biden is considering Wexler in the same role. Biden served as Vice President in the Obama administration for eight years.
In recent years, Wexler has worked at the high-powered lobbying firm Ballard Partners. That role helped further build Wexler’s resume regarding Israeli-American relations.
Wexler joined the firm in 2017. Three years later, Ballard opened a shop in Israel. Wexler helped found that office, which is based in Tel Aviv.
Nides, the other finalist for the Ambassador role, would bring a different resume to the position. Under Clinton, Nides served as chief of staff for U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor. Nides worked on NAFTA in that role. During the Obama years, Nides served as deputy secretary of state for management and resources under Secretary Hillary Clinton.
