Overview
- Pretoria’s foreign affairs department confirmed acceptance of Brent Bozell, with an accreditation ceremony with President Cyril Ramaphosa scheduled for April.
- A US State Department official said Bozell looks forward to representing "America First" foreign policy in Pretoria.
- The appointment follows strains over South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and the United States’ expulsion of Pretoria’s ambassador last year.
- At his Senate confirmation hearing, Bozell pledged to press South Africa to drop the ICJ case, to object to its ties with Russia, China and Iran, and he cited joint naval drills held in January.
- Bozell, founder of the Media Research Center, also arrives with political sensitivities that include his son’s January 6 conviction and subsequent presidential pardon.