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South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is preparing in her confirmation hearing to harshly criticize President Barack Obama's administration for allowing the United Nations Security Council to condemn Israel and pledge never to let it happen again if confirmed as the next U.N. ambassador.
Haley will call the world body "often at odds with American national interests and American taxpayers," according to remarks prepared for delivery at her Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday.
"I will not go to New York and abstain when the U.N. seeks to create an international environment that encourages boycotts of Israel," Haley plans to say, based on prepared testimony provided by a Senate aide on the condition of anonymity, since the remarks have not been delivered yet. "I will never abstain when the United Nations takes any action that comes in direct conflict with the interests and values of the United States."
She will also question the priorities of the United Nations in other areas and whether the United States is getting its money's worth for its contribution and investment. Although Haley plans to say she looks forward to representing the United States in the international forum, her skepticism about the United Nations' value echoes President-elect Donald Trump and aides who have said the New York-based body in biased, bloated and ineffectual.
"We contribute 22 percent of the U.N.'s budget, far more than any other country. We are a generous nation," say Haley's prepared remarks. "But we must ask ourselves what good is being accomplished by this disproportionate contribution. Are we getting what we pay for?"
Haley was supposed to be one of Trump's least contentious choices for a top government job, despite little direct experience handling the global issues and negotiations she would face as the ambassador to the United Nations.
Haley enters her confirmation hearing with the likelihood of at least some Democratic support. But the stakes for Haley, a Republican rising star and one of the party's few women of color in high office, rose following the problematic audition last week for the man who would be her boss - secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson.
Democrats acknowledged Tuesday that Haley isn't likely to run into much trouble winning confirmation. But they said that in light of Tillerson staking out positions at odds with Trump last week, they will be watching to see if she contradicts either or both of them, which would add to confusion about the administration's approach to foreign policy.
"In a number of instances, I appreciated that she expressed different views from the president-elect," said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., after meeting with Haley. But he said he remained troubled by some of the positions Trump has advanced.
Haley is best known nationally for her handling of the 2015 racially motivated killings of black worshipers at a historic Charleston church, for which she got generally high marks. She spoke at memorials and ordered the Confederate flag removed from the state Capitol grounds.
In 2016, she was chosen to give the Republican counter to Obama's State of the Union address, and used the platform to indirectly criticize Trump. She backed Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., during the primaries, and her selection by Trump for a Cabinet-level job bucked a trend against welcoming former political foes.
Haley was mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick in 2016 and is seen as a potential future Republican presidential candidate. The United Nations job would add critical national security experience to her resume and raise her national and international profile.
Democrats are planning to question Haley closely about her views of Russia, its international ambitions and the U.S. intelligence finding that Moscow attempted to influence the presidential election Trump won. She is likely to be asked whether she could tell the Trump White House things it might not want to hear about Russian behavior internationally and at the United Nations.
Russia, like the United States, holds a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. The U.S. and Russian ambassadors must work closely together, even if they rarely agree. Haley would probably work more directly with Russia than any other top U.S. official apart from Tillerson.
Haley was seen walking the halls of the Capitol complex on Tuesday as she held a final round of meetings before her Wednesday morning hearing. Republicans are confident that her confirmation process will be smooth and lacking the drama that has tripped up some of Trump's other nominees.
Beyond Russia, many of the other issues that caused friction at Tillerson's hearing are likely to figure in Haley's. Among them: The Obama administration decision to abstain from a United Nations Security Council vote last month that condemned Israeli settlement building and branded the settlements illegal. As Tillerson did, Haley is also likely to face questions about Trump's financial and business relationships overseas and potential conflicts of interest.
Tillerson angered Democrats and at least one influential Republican, Rubio, with fuzzy or equivocal answers. He ran into trouble when asked about his former employer, oil giant ExxonMobil, sanctions on Russia, climate change and some human rights issues. Tillerson won both praise and criticism for refusing to label Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal, and disagreed with Trump on several issues including blunt denunciation of Russia's 2014 invasion of the Crimea region of Ukraine.
Tillerson's nomination remains in limbo, with Rubio a potential spoiler. If approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week, he could be approved by the full Senate as soon as Friday.
A spokesman said Tuesday that Rubio has submitted written follow-up questions for Tillerson and has reached no decision. Separately, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who does not sit on the committee, has said he is undecided about supporting Tillerson. Republicans hold the Senate with 52 seats, so any defections matter. Tillerson may attract a small number of Democratic votes, however. Haley is expected to win more.
Haley would succeed U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power, whose farewell address Tuesday was a prosecution of Putin's Russia for what she called a systematic subversion of international rules, including an effort to "undercut the credibility of international institutions like the U.N."
She directly blamed the Russian leader for the deaths of opposition figures and journalists in Russia and called the Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea a "land grab."
"I know some have said that this focus on Russia is simply the party that lost the recent presidential election being 'sore losers,' " Power said. "But it should worry every American that a foreign government interfered in our democratic process. It's not about the leader we chose - it's about who gets to choose that leader. That privilege should belong only to Americans."
Haley, who turns 45 on Inauguration Day, is the South Carolina-born daughter of Indian immigrant parents. She was a member of the state legislature prior to her election as the state's first woman and first minority governor.
Previously:
• 05/24/16: Sanders wins greater say in Dem platform; names pro-'Palestinian' activist
• 05/16/16: Hillary's tries to counter defects: Why some Dems are certain Trump can best their gal
• 04/13/16: Dems accusing Sanders supporters of harassing convention delegates
• 04/07/16: Bernie's not going to take it anymore; lists why Hillary not 'qualified' for presidency
• 03/21/16: REVEALED: Hillary and her allied super PACs 'Stop Trump' tactics
• 01/06/16: How Hillary could win Iowa but still lose the battle of expectations
• 12/16/15: Hillary the Unconventional warrior