President Donald Trump plans to nominate Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback to serve as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. The White House confirmed yesterday that the President plans to announce the appointment today.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he’ll run the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom. Brownback is a former U.S. senator and representative. The White House says he worked on the issue of religious freedom while in Washington.
Officials in Kansas expect Brownback to step down once he’s confirmed, but Brownback’s office isn’t saying when he plans to leave office. Brownback spokeswoman Melika Willoughby said the two-term Republican governor will hold a news conference on today.
Kansas Republican Party Chairman Kelly Arnold said Wednesday he would expect Brownback to resign as governor once he’s confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Arnold said that would likely be in the fall.
Brownback’s departure would elevate Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer into the governor’s office to finish out the remainder of Brownback’s term which runs ends in January of 2019. A new Kansas governor will be elected in November next year in 2018.
