Trump nominates construction firm president Edward Walsh as next ambassador to Ireland

Kenneth Fox

US president-elect Donald Trump has nominated construction firm president Edward Walsh, as the next ambassador to Ireland.

The current US ambassador's term ends on January 20th.

Posting on his 'Truth Social' platform, he said Mr Walshe is a 'champion golfer' which, he says, is 'a very good asset for the Ambassador of Ireland to have'.

He does not mention any forthcoming trip by the new ambassador to the Trump International Golf Club in Doonbeg, in Co Clare.

Elsewhere, Trump on Saturday named his social media platform chief executive Devin Nunes to lead an intelligence advisory and said his former intelligence chief Richard Grenell would run "special missions" in places such as U.S. adversaries Venezuela and North Korea.

"Ric will work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "Ric will continue to fight for Peace through Strength, and always put AMERICA FIRST."

Trump did not name any other specific countries such as Iran in his post naming Grenell as the "Presidential Envoy for Special Missions."

Grenell previously served as acting director of national intelligence during Trump's 2017-2021 term and was Trump's ambassador to and a special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations.

Nunes, a former U.S. lawmaker who runs Trump's Truth Social platform, will serve as chairman of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, which offers independent assessments of intelligence agencies' effectiveness and planning.

A longtime Trump defender who led the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee during part of Trump's first White House term, Nunes will remain chief executive while also serving on the White House , Trump said in a separate post on Truth Social, which is part of Trump Media & Technology Group DTJ.O.

As committee chair, Nunes alleged that the FBI had conspired against Trump during its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections in which Trump defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

"Devin will draw on his experience as former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and his key role in exposing the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, to provide me with independent assessments of the effectiveness and propriety of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s activities," Trump said.

Additional reporting by Reuters