WASHINGTON — Could former Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill be headed to Europe?
Axios, the Washington-based politics site, first reported Thursday President Joe Biden is considering the Missouri Democrat for an ambassadorship in western Europe. The brief report does not specify which country.
The White House declined to comment.
But a source familiar with the White House’s plans confirmed to McClatchy that McCaskill is under consideration for a diplomatic position, saying that the United Kingdom is one possibility. A Missouri source familiar with the matter also confirmed the accuracy of the report.
McCaskill did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter. She currently works as a political analyst for MSNBC, a position she would have to give up to serve in Biden’s administration.
The Democrat’s long career in public service dates back to the 1980s when she held a Kansas City seat in the Missouri House.
She later went on to serve as Jackson County prosecutor and Missouri auditor before her election to the U.S. Senate in 2006. McCaskill’s first two years in the Senate overlapped with Biden’s tenure as Delaware’s senior senator.
McCaskill held her Senate seat for two terms, serving as the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee during her final two years.
She lost a hotly contested race to Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley in 2018 after then-President Donald Trump made multiple trips to the state to campaign for her ouster.
A political moderate, McCaskill has close relationships with several Republicans, including Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, which would likely create an easy path to confirmation if the former senator is nominated.
