Ardern not saying if Govt backs Liddell
WELLINGTON: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will not say whether she supports top Donald Trump official and New Zealandborn Chris Liddell to take charge of the OECD.
This is despite National and Act New Zealand both withdrawing their previously pledged support for the entrepreneurturnedtoppoliticalplayer’s bid to become the next Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development secretarygeneral.
He was nominated for the job by Mr Trump.
The Prime Minister ‘‘won’t be commenting publicly on the OECD secretarygeneral selection process’’, a spokesman for Ms Ardern said.
In a midNovember press conference last year, Ms Ardern said the Cabinet had not made the final decision as to who it would be supporting for the position.
‘‘[There are a] number of things that we want to take into account, and what I would say is that we have a wide range of considerations; citizenship is not the only one.’’
In December, she told her postCabinet press conference that the Cabinet ‘‘had discussed the appointment’’ but had yet to announce it.
She said she would ‘‘do that shortly . . . I’ll make sure that we do that before the end of the year’’.
Mr Liddell’s candidacy for the role came into stark focus after the US Capitol riots, which claimed the lives of five people.
US politicians in Congress have voted to impeach the President for his role in inciting the violence. The Senate has not yet voted.
Some key Trump officials and members of his cabinet resigned in the wake of the riots.
However, Mr Liddell said he was staying on Trump’s staff until he left office.
Although she would not say if she was supporting Mr Liddell’s bid, Ms Ardern did condemn the storming of the Capitol Building, saying it was ‘‘wrong’’.
National had previously supported Mr Liddell’s selection, but leader Judith Collins last week said the party had changed its mind after the riots.
‘‘The rioting that took place in the US Capitol was a disgraceful attack on democracy that has rightly tarnished those who incited and enabled the violence,’’ Mr Collins said.
‘‘Mr Liddell’s ties to the Trump Administration cannot be overlooked here, making it difficult to see how he would be suitable to uphold the OECD’s strong commitment to democracy.’’
Act had voiced similar sentiments.
‘‘Following Mr Liddell’s failure to denounce recent events, Act can no longer support him in his candidacy,’’ deputy leader Brook van Velden told Newshub.
Mr Liddell, who has been described as Trump’s righthand man, finishes up in the White House in a few days. — The New Zealand Herald