US President Barack Obama on Friday was to nominate Senator John Kerry as his next secretary of state, a senior administration official said, making the first move in a sweeping overhaul of his national security team heading into a second term.
If confirmed, Mr Kerry would take the helm at the State Department from outgoing secretary Hillary Clinton, who has long stated her intentions to leave early in 2013. Mr Kerry, a longtime senator, is expected to be easily approved for the Cabinet post by his longtime congressional colleagues.
Mr Obama will announce Mr Kerry’s nomination from the White House, said the official, who requested anonymity in order to discuss the President’s decision before the announcement.
It was unclear whether Ms Clinton would attend the announcement. The secretary fell and suffered a concussion last week, state department officials said, and hasn’t made public appearances since then.
Mr Kerry’s nomination could bring to a close what has become for the White House a contentious and distracting effort to name a new secretary of state.
Mr Kerry was the Democratic nominee for President in 2004, losing a close election to incumbent George W. Bush.
Mr Kerry’s only other rival for the job, UN ambassador Susan Rice, faced harsh criticism from congressional Republicans for her initial accounting of the September attack on Americans in Benghazi, Libya. Mr Obama vigorously defended Ms Rice but Republican senators dug in, threatening to hold up her nomination.