4 Senate Republicans tank Trump nominee's confirmation

Jewish Insider editor-in-chief Josh Kraushaar reports that four Republican senators have broken with President Donald Trump, saying they can not support his controversial pick to serve as Ambassador to Kuwait.

"Sens. CRUZ, MCCORMICK, CORNYN, CURTIS have all said they can't support Trump's ambassador pick, who has a long record of antisemitic comments," wrote Kraushaar on X.

Trump's pick is Amer Ghalib, the current Mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan. His nomination is currently in jeopardy following a contentious Senate confirmation hearing on October 23, where senators from both parties grilled him over past comments and social media activity.

Ghalib was criticized for a 2020 Facebook post in which he called former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein a "martyr". During the hearing, he claimed he was angry about an Iranian attack on U.S. troops and that he only "complimented Saddam because he kept Iran in check."

He was also questioned about denying that Hamas committed sexual violence during the October 7, 2023, attacks, a claim he called a "campaign of lies and deception".

Ghalib was asked about "liking" a Facebook post comparing Jewish people to monkeys and about his city's ban of the Pride flag and passage of a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolution against Israel.

"Ghalib's path to confirmation is unclear as at least four Republicans now oppose him becoming ambassador," wrote Jewish Insider's Emily Jacobs.