WASHINGTON, D.C., April 30, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) — The U.S. Senate confirmed Richard Grenell as ambassador to Germany, making him the highest-ranking homosexual in the Trump administration.
The Senate confirmed him by a 56-42 vote last Thursday, Reuters reported. He previously served as an adviser to several diplomats in the Bush administration as well as a U.S. spokesman at the United Nations, and he represented the country at numerous UN conferences. He was also a foreign policy analyst for numerous media outlets.
President Donald Trump originally nominated Grenell in September. His confirmation came just in time for a visit to Washington from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Throughout Trump’s presidency, conservatives have complained about Democrats slow-walking many of his nominees.
Grenell is pro-life, holds traditional conservative views on many issues, and says he wants Christian conscience rights protected, but he is also a self-described “gay Christian” who advocates for same-sex “marriage” and has decried the influence of “loud religious right activists” in the conservative coalition.
Many conservatives have been either supportive of or silent on his nomination, assuming that his sexuality will be irrelevant to a foreign policy position. But others have argued that there remains cause for concern. In 2012, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins criticized Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign for hiring Grenell (a position he later resigned) on the theory that he might use his influence to push pro-homosexual interests.
Grenell “publicly condemned the Bush administration (shortly after leaving it) for opposing a U.N. resolution urging the full acceptance of homosexuality,” Perkins wrote. “While past performance is not a guarantee of future results, there is strong evidence that Grenell would lobby for foreign policy more in line with the (Obama) administration than the last Republican one.”
Pro-homosexual organizations, including the Log Cabin Republicans and the Harvey Milk Foundation, have expressed support for Grenell. Most Senate Democrats opposed Grenell, citing past insulting tweets he directed at female political opponents.