Democrat calls on White House to return ambassador to nominated Belarus

Sen. Chris MurphyChristopher (Chris) Scott MurphyDemocrat calls on the White House to withdraw ambassador to Belarus-nominated Democrats trying to force Trump to increase production of medical supplies. Night Defense: General Air Force Officially Becomes First African-American Service Provider | Senators Introduce Bill to Block Trump Armed Drone Sale Special State Department Envoy for Iran Leaves Trump Administration MORE (D-Conn.) Called on the White House to nominate its nominee to become the US ambassador to Belarus following a widely contested presidential election there.

Murphy, a member of the House of Representatives Committee, said that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was trying to “steal” the election and threatened opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya with a “hostile video showing his victory in Belarus.” “accepts the election.”

“These tactics are unacceptable and indicate the weakness of a leader who must be forced to remain in power,” Murphy said in a statement. “While I support greater ties between the United States and the Belarusian people, now is not the time to increase diplomatic relations with Lukashenko’s government.”

“Sending an ambassador to Minsk now, for the first time in more than a decade, would signal that the United States is condoning these actions, and I am ready to oppose the nomination in the Committee on Foreign Relations, unless the the president is being inducted. “

The statement comes after this month’s controversial election in which Lukashenko won a landslide victory with about 80 percent of the vote. Opposition candidates and protesters rejected election results, and human rights groups accused the authorities of using excessive force against peaceful Protestants.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Monday said the administration was “deeply concerned” about the election process and violence used against protesters.

“We urge the Belarussian government to respect the right to peaceful assembly and to refrain from using force,” she said.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpDemocrat calls on White House to take back ambassador to Belarus nominated TikTok to collect data from mobile devices to track Android users: Peterson report wins Minnesota House primarily in crucial swing district MORE first announced in April that he would appoint Julie Fisher, currently serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Europe and the European Union in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the State Department, as Ambassador to Belarus.

Republicans have a majority of 12 to 10 seats on the House of Representatives panel, accused of confirming Trump’s ambassador nominees, meaning they could confirm an election without Democratic support.