Jon Huntsman: Everything you need to know about the nominee for Russia ambassadorship
Jon Huntsman has been tapped to be the U.S. ambassador to Russia.
— -- Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has been nominated by President Donald Trump for the position of U.S. ambassador to Russia, a job that has taken on greater importance in the wake of revelations that a number of Trump administration officials made contact with a Russian diplomat prior to Trump's inauguration.
If confirmed by the Senate, Huntsman would be serving in his third ambassadorship. Huntsman's expertise is largely on Asia having been the U.S. ambassador to Singapore and then later to China.
Here is everything you need to know about Huntsman:
Full name: Jon Meade Huntsman, Jr.
Party: Republican
Age: 56 (Born March 26, 1960)
Education: Bachelors’ Degree, University of Pennsylvania
What he does now: Huntsman is chairman of the Atlantic Council, an International Affairs think tank, and co-chairman of No Labels, a political organization that describes itself, according to its website, as "the voice for the New Center, for the tens of millions of Americans who have effectively been abandoned by Democrats and Republicans alike."
What he used to do: From 2005 to 2009, Huntsman was Governor of Utah. He was subsequently the ambassador to China, nominated by President Obama -- his second stint as an ambassador in Asia. From 1992 to 1993, Hunstman was the U.S. ambassador to Singapore. He also served as a deputy U.S. trade representative under George W. Bush.
Hunstman ran as a candidate in the 2012 presidential race, but withdrew after the New Hampshire primary.
His family: Huntsman has seven children, including two daughters adopted from China and India. His father, Jon Huntsman Sr., is a billionaire businessman and founder of the Huntsman Corporation, which manufactures chemical products.
What you might not know about him:
He speaks Mandarin fluently.
Huntsman spent time as a Mormon missionary in Taiwan. Recently, he praised Trump’s phone call with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan.
In the 70s, he dropped out of high school and joined a rock band called Wizard. He played keyboard for the band.
His relationship with Trump:
Trump tweeted about Huntsman during the 2012 Republican primary and shortly after the Utah governor dropped out.
Although Huntsman endorsed Trump in May 2016, he was among those who called on him to withdraw from the election after 2005 audio of Trump bragging about his ability to grope women surfaced in Oct. 2016.
"In a campaign cycle that has been nothing but a race to the bottom -- at such a critical moment for our nation -- and with so many who have tried to be respectful of a record primary vote, the time has come for Governor Pence to lead the ticket," he said in a statement to the Salt Lake Tribune.
A White House official said Huntsman and Trump buried the hatchet during the transition, according to the Associated Press.
Huntsman was reportedly a contender for secretary of state, before Trump settled on Rex Tillerson.
What we know about his views on Russia
As a 2012 presidential candidate, Huntsman argued on his campaign website that the U.S. relationship with Russia should be viewed "with more objective eyes."
He also criticized Obama's efforts to reset relations with the country.
"Working with Russia to develop a more cooperative relationship is needed, but we should not make that relationship one that mirrors a Potemkin village in which we pretend the Kremlin is more of a partner than it is, more of a democracy than it is, more respectful of human rights than it is, and less threatening to its neighbors than it is," Huntsman said.
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