Trump U.N. Pick Heather Nauert Once Called D-Day An Example Of ‘Strong Relationship’ With Germany

Even before Donald Trump officially announced his nomination of State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert to succeed Ambassador Nikki Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the rumored pick was pilloried over Nauert’s lack of diplomatic experience. But now, her experience in that State Department role is coming back to haunt her as well.

Shortly after Trump made the pick official, The Washington Post flagged an exchange from earlier this year in which Nauert cited the D-Day invasion as an example of the “strong relationship” between the United States and Germany.

At a State Department briefing on June 5, Nauert was asked about controversial comments that U.S. Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell had recently made., comments which had upset the Germans.

Nauert defended Grenell on the basis of his “right to free speech,” and then addressed the relationship with Germany.

“When you talk about Germany, we have a very strong relationship with the Government of Germany,” Nauert said, and mentioned the anniversary of the post-World War II Marshall Plan.

But then, Nauert noted “Tomorrow is the anniversary of the D-Day invasion. We obviously have a very long history with the Government of Germany, and we have a strong relationship with the government, and so we want to reaffirm the strength of our relationship with Germany.”

The D-Day invasion was carried out by the United States and its allies. The Germans were Nazis, and were our enemies.

Nauert has also taken criticism over her years of experience as a Fox News anchor, which some argue are a poor substitute for diplomatic experience. If her much more recent experience at the State Department provides such rich fodder for critics, it portends a difficult confirmation process ahead.

Watch the clip above, via The Washington Post.

[featured image via screengrab]