Obama’s Libya nominee put through her paces
Career diplomat undergoes confirmation hearings amid concerns over security of US diplomatic missions.
Deborah Jones, Barack Obama’s nominee to be the new ambassador to Libya, underwent confirmation hearings on Tuesday amid ongoing concerns about security of US diplomatic missions.
Jones, a veteran Middle East diplomat, was chosen by the US president to fill the post, which has been vacant since Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the attack in Benghazi on September 11, 2012.
Jones, a career diplomat, is a former ambassador to Kuwait and has served at embassies and consulates in Syria, Turkey, the UAE and Ethiopia.
Political controversy has lingered in Washington over the initial US response to the Benghazi assault, with Republicans accusing the Obama administration of withholding information and the White House defending its handling of the matter.
Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan reports from the US state department.