Statement on the Nomination of Antony J. Blinken To Be Deputy Secretary of State

I'm proud to nominate Antony Blinken to be our next Deputy Secretary of State. I've known and worked closely with Tony for the past decade, starting when I joined the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and he was its staff director. For the past 6 years, I've relied on Tony in the White House, where I've come to have extraordinary respect for his knowledge, judgment, and inclusive approach to developing and implementing our foreign policy.

As everyone who knows and works with Tony can attest, he is a person of enormous integrity with a tireless work ethic and deep love of country. He is exactly the type of person who we want to represent the United States of America overseas. If confirmed by the Senate, I know he will continue to do a great job on behalf of my administration, Secretary Kerry, and the American people.