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Dec. 7, 2018 / 2:43 PM GMT / Updated 3:15 PM GMT
By Daniel Barnes
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday that he plans to nominate William Barr for attorney general, and confirmed that former Fox News anchor Heather Nauert as his pick to replace Nikki Haley as U.N. ambassador.
“He was my first choice from day one,” Trump said of Barr, calling him a “highly respected lawyer” and “one of the most respected jurists in the country.”
If confirmed by the Senate, it would be Barr’s second stint as head of the Justice Department. He served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 under the late former President George H.W. Bush.
“Hopefully that process will go very quickly,” Trump said of Senate confirmation. “I think he will serve with great distinction.”
Barr would succeed former attorney general Jeff Sessions, who resigned under pressure in November.
Trump’s choice of Nauert to replace Haley had been previously reported by NBC News.
“She’s very talented, very smart, very quick and I think she’s going to be respected by all,” Trump said of Nauert.
The president also teased a third personnel decision to be announced tomorrow as he attends the Army-Navy game in Philadelphia.
“I can give you a little hint — it will have to do with the joint chiefs of staff and succession,” Trump said.