Washington - United States President Trump on Tuesday nominated Washington-based attorney Christopher Landau to be the next U.S. ambassador to Mexico.
A Conservative, Landau is a partner at the law firm of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, and previously worked as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
If confirmed by the Senate, he would fill a position that has been empty since Roberta Jacobson resigned in May 2018.
U.S.-Mexico relations have been strained recently by Trump's criticism of immigrants passing through Mexico to enter the U.S. illegally, as well as his efforts to build a wall along the border between the two countries.
Mexico and the U.S. are also ironing out ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Landau is fluent in Spanish and received a certificate in Latin American Studies as an undergrad at Harvard University, according to the White House.
His father, George Landau, served as U.S. ambassador to Paraguay, Chile and Venezuela.
Original article