12:37 p.m. ET, December 7, 2018
Why some critics are questioning Nauert's qualifications
From CNN's Zachary Cohen
Some critics are expressing skepticism that Heather Nauert has sufficient experience for the job, especially in comparison to her predecessors.
"This is extraordinary. Especially in the footsteps of the former ambassadors: Madeleine Albright, Susan Rice," one senior diplomat told CNN.
Peter Yeo, Senior VP of the UN Foundation, told CNN that "Nauert's selection doesn't fit the traditional mold for a US Ambassador to the UN."
"She has been a communicator more than a policy person, so she'll be quickly put to the test with the on-the-spot negotiations required at the UN," he said.
Experience matters less to the President, an avid fan of Fox News, than Nauert's loyalty to the White House, the fact that she's a woman, and her ability to be a polished proxy on television, according to sources familiar with his thinking.
Despite Nauert's TV savvy, however, current and former colleagues wonder if she will be prepared or equipped to navigate the gritty behind-the-scenes work of UN negotiations.
She is also taking the position amid a roster of thorny global challenges, ranging from North Korea's nuclear program to Yemen's famine and the growing divide between the US and its closest allies over the Iran nuclear deal, climate change and other issues.