The transition team for the incoming Trump administration is currently considering Joel Rayburn and Morgan Ortagus for assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs within the U.S. Department of State, Politico reported on Monday.
Rayburn, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, is the front-runner for the Middle East diplomacy position, a source told the outlet’s writers.
Previously, he was senior director for Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council before moving to deputy assistant secretary for Levant affairs and special envoy for Syria. He now serves as the founder and director of the American Center for Levant Studies.
Ortagus, the former spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, is also being considered for other jobs across the incoming administration, including the U.S. ambassadorship to Saudi Arabia, a source said.
She is the founder of the POLARIS National Security conservative advocacy group.
Rayburn did not respond to a request for comment, and Ortagus declined to comment, per the report. A transition spokesperson also declined to comment when asked specifically about the two.
