Report: Gingrich wife Vatican envoy

Less than two weeks before a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, President Donald Trump has apparently settled on nominating Callista Gingrich, the wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, as the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, according to two people close to the president.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment, and the announcement is pending approval from the Office of Government Ethics, according to CNN, which first reported the news Sunday.

Newt Gingrich, reached by phone Sunday evening, declined to confirm or deny that his wife would be nominated, saying only that he and his wife were told to "be very cautious" until an actual nomination was announced.

The idea of nominating Callista Gingrich first became public in January, and during the transition Trump half-jokingly said he was intrigued by the idea of picking Callista Gingrich because it could also get Newt Gingrich, with whom he has a hot-and-cold relationship, out of his hair, according to one of the people with knowledge of Trump's remarks.

Over recent months, Callista Gingrich and her husband grew increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of the vetting process, and Callista Gingrich even threatened to take her name out of the running, according to one of the people.

Others who were considered include Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, who was an early favorite for the position but took his name out of the running because of the financial strain it would put on his family, according to one of the people with knowledge of the nomination process.

Callista Gingrich, a member of the choir at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, played a critical role in Newt Gingrich's conversion to Catholicism.

A Section on 05/15/2017

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