Rabat – The acting American Chargé d’Affaires to Morocco, Jennifer Rasamimanana, has assured Morocco that the delay in the US ambassador taking office is “normal.”
The prospective ambassador, David Fischer, has still not taken office over 600 days since his nomination by US President Donald Trump. Rasmimanana was questioned about the issue on the sidelines of a visit from a delegation of US parliamentarians.
“It’s normal, things are underway and not only Morocco is affected by this. There are many countries in the same situation,” she said, adding that relations between the two countries are historic, and Morocco and the US are “strategic partners.”
Stressing the importance of the relations between the two countries, she recalled that Morocco was the first country in the world to formally acknowledge the United States as an independent nation in 1777.
A communiqué in 2017 first announced the nomination of American businessman David T. Fischer as the next US ambassador to Morocco, but nothing stirred in the Senate.
In January of this year, federal documents indicated that the Senate failed to confirm Fischer as US ambassador to Rabat and Fischer’s nomination was sent back for presidential consideration.
President Trump stood by his decision, nominating the car dealer from Michigan, known for being a major Republican donor, for a second time. However, six months after the second nomination, Fischer has still not taken office
Fischer contributed $250,000 to President Trump’s inauguration funds, and his nomination as an ambassador has been largely perceived in US policy circles as an expression of gratitude for Fischer’s contribution to President Trump’s inauguration.
Rasamimanana was right in pointing out that Fischer is not the only prospective ambassador experiencing a delay. The nominee to be envoy to the Bahamas has already waited almost 800 days, while a slew of others have already waited between 500-600 days.
The delay is most likely due to ongoing clashes between Republicans and Democrats occupying the Senate.
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