President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the need for a new U.S. ambassador to Russia during a short phone call regarding widespread wildfires in Siberia, CNN is reporting.
CNN quotes two senior administration officials who said the two leaders talked about a new ambassador, but didn’t name names.
Current ambassador Jon Huntsman is expected to leave his post and has reportedly been considering a return to Utah and a run for the governor’s mansion, multiple sources told The Salt Lake Tribune in April.
CNN also quotes an embassy source who says Huntsman and his wife, Mary Kaye, have been going on an apparent “goodbye tour” in Russia and visiting fellow diplomats and others before they leave the country.
Mary Kaye Huntsman criticized the report for inaccuracies — but her fire was aimed at the description of the Huntsmans’ recent conversations as a “farewell tour."
Noting “we haven’t even announced our departure,” she said “our announcement will be coming soon and I’m sure we’ll at that point say goodbye to many friends before we leave."
A source close to Huntsman said the ambassador has spent a long time serving his country in Russia and that he has said he plans to depart this fall.
“Two years has been a long time for anyone to be in Russia, both away from their family and in a post as demanding as this one,” the source said.
Huntsman was elected Utah governor in 2004, and served until President Barack Obama tapped him to become ambassador to China in 2009. He has been the Russian ambassador since October 2017.
When Huntsman stepped down as governor a decade ago, his then-Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert was elevated to Utah’s top elected state post. Herbert has been elected three times but has said he will retire when his current term expires in January 2020.
A recent Salt Lake Chamber poll found Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, whom Herbert has supported, is the front-running Republican among potential rivals that include Huntsman, former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes, former state Republican Chairman Thomas Wright and Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton.
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Salt Lake Tribune reporter Thomas Burr contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: Ambassador Jon Huntsman is the brother of Paul Huntsman, Tribune owner and publisher.
