Kelly Craft Bio
Kelly Craft is an American businesswoman and diplomat who is currently serving as the United States Ambassador to Canada, the first woman to hold that post. She was appointed by President George W. Bush as a U.S. alternate delegate to the United Nations in 2007, where her focus included U.S. engagement in Africa.
She was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Kentucky. She headed Kelly G. Knight LLC, a business advisory firm based in Lexington, Kentucky. On May 2, 2019, Craft’s nomination to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations was officially sent to the United States Senate after President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate her on February 22, 2019.
Kelly Craft Age/Height
Kelly was born on February 24, 1962. She is 57 years old as per 2019.
Kelly Craft Family
Craft was born in 1962, the daughter of the late veterinarian Dr. Bobby Guilfoil and Sherry Dale Guilfoil. Her father was a Democratic Party activist who once served as chairman of the Barren County, Kentucky Democratic Party.
She grew up in Glasgow, Kentucky, and graduated from Glasgow High School in 1980. She graduated with a B.A. from the University of Kentucky in 1984.
Kelly Craft Husband
Craft has been married three times and divorced twice. She got married to David S. Moross and then Judson Knight. She then got married to Joe Craft in April 2016. Her husband is a billionaire coal-mining executive for Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., the third-largest coal producer in the eastern United States.
Kelly Craft Career
Political involvement and donations
Craft has been described as a generous donor to political candidates. In 2004, Craft was a prominent supporter of George W. Bush, who appointed her an alternate delegate to the United Nations in 2007. As part of the delegation, her responsibilities included advising the UN ambassador on US/Africa policy.
In 2016, Craft and her husband donated millions of dollars to candidates for the 2016 Republican nomination for president. Prior to donating more than $2 million to Donald Trump’s campaign, the couple supported Marco Rubio. Craft and her husband, Joe Craft, have strongly supported Mitch McConnell. McConnell, in turn, urged Trump to nominate Craft as Ambassador to Canada.
Craft served on the board of trustees of her alma mater, the University of Kentucky, for a term beginning August 2016, but resigned to accept the Canadian ambassadorship a year later.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada
On June 15, 2017, Craft was nominated by President Donald Trump to become the United States Ambassador to Canada. She was confirmed by the United States Senate by voice vote on August 3 and assumed office on October 23. In her first week as U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Craft said in an interview with CBC News that when it comes to the scientific consensus on climate change she believes in “both sides of the science.”
According to a June 2019 report in Politico, Craft was frequently absent from her Ottawa post during her tenure as Ambassador. During a 15-month period, she took 128 flights between Ottawa and the United States, the equivalent of a round trip per week. 70 of the trips either had Lexington, Kentucky as the origin or destination of her trips, which raised questions as to whether the trips were for personal reasons.
The Trump administration did not provide records of how many days Craft was present in Ottawa; per State Department rules, an Ambassador may only spend 26 work days away from a post.[16] Craft does not make her schedules available.
U.N. ambassador
On February 22, 2019, Craft was nominated by President Donald Trump to replace Nikki Haley, who had resigned the previous year, as his envoy to the United Nations. The first replacement choice, Heather Nauert, withdrew her nomination.
The United States Senate received Craft’s nomination from the White House on May 2, 2019. During a Senate hearing on June 19, 2019, Craft said that she would continue to fight anti-Israel bias in the United Nations.
Kelly Craft News
Trump’s UN ambassador pick Kelly Craft grilled on her 300 absences as Canada envoy
United Nations ambassador nominee Kelly Craft appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for her confirmation hearing Wednesday, and while she praised the UN as a “vital institution,” much of the hearing was spent examining her record as the US’s top diplomat in Canada.
Craft has served as the US ambassador to Canada since September 2017. But Politico reported Monday that she was “frequently absent” from her diplomatic post in Ottawa. Flight records obtained by Politico showed Craft took 128 flights between the US and Canada in a 15-month period, which comes out to about a flight per week.
Democrats pressed Craft on her absences, with Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) saying State Department records show Craft had been absent for more than 300 days between October 23, 2017, and June 19, 2019.
“That’s an extraordinary number of absences,” Menendez said, using a calendar marked in red to note the number of days Craft was reportedly away from Canada. The senator said those days were listed as official travel, but Craft was in Kentucky, her home state, on some of those days. He asked Craft to turn over additional records to address the discrepancies.
Craft defended her record, saying that her travel had been approved and that her frequent trips were related to negotiating and promoting the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the updated version of NAFTA that was negotiated during her tenure. “I did not enjoy living out of a suitcase,” she told Menendez at one point during the hearing.
Top Republicans came to Craft’s defense during the hearing over the issue of her travel.
“The bottom line being, it was not possible for you to both be in those negotiations with USMCA and also at some ceremonial event at some third country embassy at the same time, you had to make a choice, and in those cases, you prioritized the top priority of this administration with regards to our relationship with Canada,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said during the hearing.
The concern over Craft’s absences in Ottawa was legitimate, as she’s being nominated to the US’s top diplomatic post and the bulk of her foreign policy experience comes from her nearly two-year stint in Canada. Craft is married to a Kentucky coal magnate, who also happens to be a major GOP donor. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has backed Craft’s nomination for the UN post, and he testified on her behalf on Wednesday — a reason her nomination likely will won’t face any real opposition.
Craft’s hearing didn’t exactly convince anyone that she had detailed knowledge of the inner workings of the UN — for example, she downplayed the US’s decision to leave the UN Human Rights Council last year, saying she could advocate for human rights through the UN Security Council, though that body often deals with different priorities.
At the same time, she repeatedly made clear that she believed in the mission of the United Nation. In her opening statement, Craft said she would prioritize reform at the UN and “bolstering humanitarian efforts.” She championed the UN’s role in providing humanitarian aid and said she would focus on expanding resources for aid as the world deals with crises in Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. She also promised to stand up to malign actors in the international body, most notably Russia and China.
Craft also praised the UN as “a vital institution that is at its best when free nations jointly contribute to its missions around the world.”
This praise wouldn’t normally be a remarkable statement. But given the Trump’s administration’s disdain for the UN and other multilateral institutions, Craft’s cheerleading of the UN will likely appease skeptical Democrats — even if Republicans can advance her nomination without bipartisan backing. And it may appease some of America’s allies too.
Who is Kelly Craft?
Trump announced his plans to name Craft to the UN post in February after a snafu with his original nominee, Heather Nauert. But his administration only submitted Craft’s name to the Senate in May, finally moving to fill a top diplomatic position that has been open for months.
If confirmed, Craft would replace Nikki Haley, who left the post at the end of 2018 after nearly two years on the job. Jonathan Cohen, a career diplomat who became Haley’s deputy in June 2018, has served as acting UN ambassador since January 2019.
Haley, during her tenure, managed to strike a balance between Trump’s “America First” worldview and a more traditional Republican foreign policy. The former South Carolina governor had also demanded that the US ambassador to the UN role remain a Cabinet-level position while she held the role. But it likely will not remain that way if Craft takes over — which could potentially diminish her influence within the administration.
Craft is a major Republican donor who became US ambassador to Canada
Craft was unanimously confirmed by voice vote to be the US ambassador to Canada in August 2017, but her nomination to UN ambassador was bound to be a bit more contentious.
Here’s what she has going for her: In addition to that prior Senate endorsement, Craft, who hails from Kentucky and whose husband is a major coal magnate, has a key ally in her corner. She’s got the backing of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, which would seem to bode well for her nomination’s chances of approval.
But she also likely got her posting as a US ambassador because she was a major donor to GOP causes as well as Trump’s campaign. In 2016, Craft donated more than $260,000 to the campaign; her husband, Joe Craft, donated about $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee. Both she and her husband were Kentucky state finance chairs for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in 2012.
Presidents — Democrats or Republicans — often appoint donors and other supporters to cushy ambassadorship gigs. But the high-profile UN ambassador role tends to be a job for experienced officials or those with deep foreign policy or diplomatic credentials.
Craft did serve as part of the US delegation to the UN under President George W. Bush in 2007. And she has gained experience during her tenure as ambassador to Canada, where she played a role in helping to negotiate the USMCA.
She got herself into a bit of trouble early in her tenure over comments she made about climate change, in which she said there were “good scientists on both sides” of the climate debate during an interview with a Canadian news outlet in 2017.
Combating climate change is among the UN’s major goals, and during her hearing, Craft walked back these comments by telling the committee she believes human behavior and fossil fuels have contributed to climate change. “Let there be no doubt: I take this matter seriously, and if confirmed, I will be an advocate for all countries to do their part in addressing climate change,” Craft said.
Craft also agreed to recuse herself from any UN discussions that involve coal and climate change at the UN, given her family’s coal connections.
If confirmed, Craft will step into the role and immediately face a slew of international challenges, including refugee crises in places such as Myanmar, Syria, and several parts of Africa including the Central African Republic and South Sudan; political turmoil in Libya and Sudan; and the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen due to a Saudi-backed civil war.
Craft will also have to deal with the reality that the US is increasingly isolated on issues from the environment to migration to even health and gender initiatives. And while she said she was a “firm believer” in the UN, she’ll be advocating for an administration that views multilateral institutions — the UN included — with a strong degree of suspicion.
Kelly Craft On Israel
“ISRAEL IS ROOTED DEEP IN HER HEART” – WHO IS KELLY CRAFT?
The top Israeli diplomat in Canada, where Craft currently serves as Ambassador, said that the would-be Ambassador is a strong supporter of Israel.
WASHINGTON – Nikki Haley was one of the biggest advocates for Israel to ever fill the position of Ambassador to the UN. After her departure, Israeli diplomats were worried that whoever would be appointed as her successor, would not be as pro-Israel as Haley.
Kelly Craft, the US Ambassador to Canada, was nominated in February by President Donald Trump as the Ambassador to the UN. Craft, a major Republican donor, and operative from Kentucky started her own business advisory firm in Lexington in 2004. She is married to billionaire coal baron Joe Craft.
Israeli diplomats in Washington and New York told the Post that they are not aware of Craft’s record regarding Israel. However, the top Israeli diplomat in Canada, where Craft currently serves as Ambassador, said that the would-be Ambassador is a strong supporter of Israel.
“We created a deep friendship during her tenure as Ambassador, and I even sent her a letter, thanking her for her worldview on Israel,” Nimrod Barkan, Israeli Ambassador to Canada, told The Jerusalem Post.
In his letter, Barkan wrote Craft ahead of her confirmation hearing: “Ever since we met upon your arrival to Ottawa, I was deeply impressed with you, your wisdom and sharpness, and, naturally, your love and support for the State of Israel. Well beyond your diligent work with Canada, you showed great interest in Israel-related issues, and worked tirelessly to improve both US-Israel relations as well as Canada-Israel relations, as much as you could.”
He added that “while I am and will be sad to see you depart Ottawa, though we will still keep in touch, I know, from our many conversations, that you will continue to be a steadfast supporter and friend of the State of Israel in the United Nations, within US foreign policy, and everywhere else that you will be in the future.”
In her confirmation hearing, Craft vowed to follow the footsteps of her predecessor. “if confirmed there will be no stronger ally than Kelly Craft for Israel on behalf of the United States. There is no room whatsoever for anti-Israel bias or antisemitism, and with the strength of this committee, I am certain that we can defeat any areas whether it’s a human rights council and bringing up anti-Israel bias every opportunity they have, or any place in the UN, there is no place for that.”
“Israel is rooted deep in her heart,” Ambassador Barkan told the Post. “The desire to stand by Israel plays a significant role in her life. It is truly personal for her.
After I realize how important it is for her, we became close friends. I even spoke to her before the confirmation hearing. We cooperated in so many issues. Having her as Ambassador to the UN is an asset for Israel.”
Barkan told the Post that Craft took her husband for a trip to Israel and that her daughter is married to a Jewish guy. “It really can’t get any better than that from Israel’s perspective,” he added. “She even invited me for dinner with the Canadian Ambassador to the US to help us strengthen the ties.”
The Israeli Ambassador told the Post that over time, the friendship became strong. “We visited her house, and she visited ours. This relationship is not your usual friendship between ambassadors. It became personal because she sees Israel as such an important issue. I speak with Crafts all the time.”
He also told the Post that Craft is viewed favorably by the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, the National Security Advisor, John Bolton, and by the President Advisor and son-in-law, Jared Kushner. According to Barkan, Craft has already started to learn the different Israel-related issues that are relevant to her new position.
Asked about Craft’s skills, Barkan said that “she’s a pro. She knows how to find the right person to promote each issue. Craft played a significant role in crafting the new version of NAFTA and maintained close ties with the relevant people. Both she and her husband like basketball – her husband involved in basketball in Kentucky.
They used to attend the Toronto Raptors games wearing a jersey of the local team. It helped her with scoring points in public opinion. At a time of complicated negotiations on NAFTA, her ability to bring people together made her overcome many obstacles.”
Speaking about the relations between Craft and the Jewish community, Barkan said that she attended many events. “I invited her to candle lightning at the Canadian Parliament, and she was happy to come. I introduced her to the leaders of the Jewish community.”
Kelly Craft Nominations
Kelly Craft formally nominated to UN post
Kelly Craft’s nomination to be US ambassador to the United Nations has been formally submitted to the Senate, the White House announced Thursday.
President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Craft, the current US ambassador to Canada, to the post in late February after former Ambassador Nikki Haley resigned last year. The nomination now goes to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Craft will begin meeting with senators in the coming days and make her case in a hearing at a date to be determined.
The Kentucky native and her husband, billionaire coal mining executive Joe Craft, have been heavyweight Republican funders. In the 2016 presidential race, they backed Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida to be the Republican nominee for president before switching their allegiance to Trump.
The next year, Trump nominated Craft to be ambassador to Canada, a position she officially assumed in October 2017.
Trump’s original pick to replace Haley, Heather Nauert, bowed out after it came to light that she had employed a nanny who was legally present in the US but wasn’t legally permitted to work.
A former US ambassador who served in the State Department under both Republican and Democratic administrations expressed concern to CNN about Trump’s most recent nominees.
“When you look at the others who have held this position — Henry Cabot Lodge, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Madeleine Albright, George H.W. Bush — these were people who knew so much. They could call heads of state, and sit down, and do the hard negotiations. Now, though — these choices — people at State see this as terrible.”
Kelly Craft Confirmation Hearing
President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next US ambassador to the United Nations hit headwinds Wednesday as senators questioned the impact of her family’s coal fortune on her ability to work on climate issues at the world body.
Kelly Craft, the current US ambassador to Canada, acknowledged during a Senate Foreign Relations committee hearing that fossil fuels contribute to climate change and said she would recuse herself from any UN discussions on coal. But as senators raised the question, again and again, Craft hedged on the degree to which fossil fuels drive climate change, which the UN described in November as an “existential crisis.” For at least one senator, Craft’s nuanced stance wasn’t good enough.
“At a time when climate chaos is the greatest global challenge we face, it’s incredibly disturbing that President Trump has nominated a UN Ambassador with deep personal ties to and a financial stake in the coal industry,” Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said in a statement after the hearing, announcing his opposition to Craft’s nomination.
Political connections
Craft will be replacing former ambassador Nikki Haley, who resigned in October. The job is not expected to be the Cabinet-level posting that Haley insisted upon, leaving Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton firmly in control of US foreign policy.
But Craft’s political connections as a major Republican donor, both to Trump and lawmakers, may give her more behind-the-scenes clout with the White House and the Republican-controlled Senate than Haley wielded.
On Wednesday, Craft faced questions about her extended absences from Canada during her tenure as ambassador, as well as her stance on Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses, in particular, what the UN and US intelligence agencies say was the state-sanctioned and directed killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
She was queried on whether the President has the right to go to war with Iran without consulting Congress and questioned on Trump administration policies on gender and women. But senators kept circling back to the issue of climate.
Craft — who is married to the CEO of Alliance Resource Partners, one of the largest coal producers in the US — made a stir soon after arriving in Canada for saying that when it comes to climate change “both sides have their own results, from their studies. … I respect both sides of science.”
‘It poses real risks’
Craft tried to head off questions about the issue in her opening remarks to the committee. “I understand that some members of this committee have raised questions about where I stand on climate change,” she said.
“Climate change needs to be addressed as it poses real risks to our planet. Human behavior has contributed to the changing climate, let there be no doubt,” Craft said. “I will take this matter seriously, and if confirmed, I will be an advocate for all countries to do their part in addressing climate change.”
She said that did not mean that the US “should imperil American jobs or our economy as a whole by assuming an outsized burden on behalf of the rest of the world.” And Craft said that “where there is the issue of coal and/or fossil fuels, I will recuse myself in meetings through the UN.”
“I understand that fossil fuels have played a part in climate change,” Craft said later in the hearing. But when asked by Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey whether she agrees with scientists who say that the crisis is “largely because of fossil fuels and human activity,” Craft hedged.
“I acknowledge there is a vast amount of science regarding climate change and the tools and the role that humans have played in climate change,” she said.
GOP fundraiser
Craft, who has been a fundraiser for Republican causes and a generous donor to the Republican Party, the Republican National Committee and Trump’s 2016 election campaign, has given to several of the committee Republicans who will be voting on her nomination.
According to the Federal Election Commission, in 2016 Craft donated to Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wyoming and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. She and her husband have also held fundraisers in the past for Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who said Wednesday that he and Craft are “long-term friends.”
Craft was introduced to the committee by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who spent time on the Senate floor Wednesday morning calling for the rollback of coal industry regulations.
Republicans on the committee came to Craft’s defense when Democrats, led by New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, challenged Craft on her absences from Ottawa. Menendez noted that she was away from her post more than 300 days between October 2017 and June 2019.
Craft said that she had been traveling for the trade negotiations with Canada and Mexico. When Menendez pointed out that her absences continued well after the talks were concluded — with Craft spending an average of 20 days a month outside Canada in the eight months since negotiations ended — Craft said other conversations were required to iron out issues.
‘No fun’
“I did not enjoy living out of a suitcase … that was no fun,” Craft said.
In a rare moment of tension between a Republican and Craft, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky asked Craft whether she thought the Iraq War was a mistake.
“I’m not going to second guess the administration, the Bush administration,” said Craft, who was a fundraiser for President George W. Bush. “But I do acknowledge President Trump has made the statement that” the war was a mistake. Rand told Craft that she’ll face questions at the UN about “whether or not regime change in the Middle East is our business,” in a reference to growing tensions with Iran. “What’s important is that we show strength, we show deterrence,” Craft said.
Young of Indiana asked Craft if she believed the President could declare war on Iran without congressional approval. “I understand that when we have an imminent threat the President makes this decision,” Craft said. “If not that, then I also understand and I know the importance of consulting with Congress when it comes to something as important as this decision.”
Pressed by Young, she said, “I agree — yes, that we need to be consulting with Congress.”
Kelly Craft Net Worth
Her net worth is still under review.