Former Rep. Mark Walker appointed as religious freedom adviser

U.S. Rep. Mark Walker of North Carolina said on Thursday he had accepted a presidential appointment as principal adviser for global religious freedom at the State Department. The advisory role appointment by President Donald Trump comes nearly nine months after he previously nominated Walker to serve as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. But the congressman never received a confirmation hearing in the Senate for the ambassador-at-large position.

The principal adviser role allows Walker to engage in similar work as the ambassador-at-large, without needing Senate confirmation. As an adviser, Walker said he will work to protect religious freedom, expose human rights violations, and advocate for people of faith around the world.

What delayed Walker’s nomination? Walker, a former pastor, faced opposition from a few Senate Republicans that delayed his confirmation hearing. NBC News reported that Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., a former political rival of Walker’s, worked behind the scenes to stall the nomination. Budd later told WORLD he had concerns about Walker’s fitness for the role but offered few specifics. However, letters from the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and Save the Persecuted Christians urged the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to schedule Walker’s hearing. 

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report the stalled Senate confirmation vote for Walker’s ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom nomination.