A change of government in the US is accompanied by a change in personnel in top management posts through the administration.
Political appointments, not career civil servants, are the norm for some 4,000 top level jobs in the federal system. Just over a quarter of them need Senate approval, including all ambassadors, both career diplomats and political appointees.
Last week the confirmation hearing for four ambassadorial nominees were held: France, Netherlands, Dominican Republic and Ireland.
So, we got a first chance to hear from Edward Walsh, President Trump's nominee to be his Ambassador to Ireland, the link person between the Irish and US governments.
Most of what he had to say was as you would expect - proud of his Irish roots, looking forward to increasing commerce between the two states, and boosting personal, cultural and academic links which are already deep.
But he appeared less comfortable engaging in depth on the one thing most republican senators wanted to talk to him about - Ireland’s attitude to Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Hamas, the International Criminal Court and anti-Semitism.
Take the chairman of the committee, Idaho senator John Risch, who opened the questioning of Mr Walsh.
He said: "As you know, Ireland has recognised a Palestinian state. This recognition fails to acknowledge actual conditions on the ground, and worse, the horrific attack against Israel on 7 October. This is a mistake by irony. Until Hamas is destroyed, a Palestinian state is exceptionally unlikely."
He continued: "Calls for statehood fail to recognise that Israel can no longer tolerate terrorists in Gaza or in Lebanon. For too long, these groups have been a dagger pointed at the heart of Jerusalem and must be destroyed.
"I hope you'll ensure that our friends in Ireland will understand that America strongly supports Israel. I also look forward to hearing how you will continue the United States’ historic role in implementing the Good Friday Agreement".
Mr Walsh said he would engage on the issues that are causing tensions between Israel and Ireland, but said President Trump has "made it very clear that Israel is a close ally of ours and that anti-Semitism has no place in the entire world".
Senator Risch, a former Governor of Idaho, and a Catholic with strong Conservative convictions, cited his own Irish heritage before stating: "It's heartbreaking to see the mistake that the Irish are making regarding the Jewish state and Hamas. It's absolutely heartbreaking, is all I can say, as far as watching that - with zero recognition of what Hamas did on October 7th."
He continued: "And I truly hope that Mr Walsh - this is going to be a tough needle to thread - when you got a close ally making a horrible mistake, but you got to thread that needle, and I hope you will convey the message that they are very much out of step with the United States, as far as their relationship with those countries in in the Middle East?
"It certainly is a topic that we're going to be discussing for a long time," said Mr Walsh, "and I am looking forward to getting really a detailed brief on all the issues relevant to this. But I do know that President Trump's been very clear, along with many of you, that Ireland is an ally, and there's no room for anti-Semitism throughout the world, so it definitely will be a big part of my conversation with them, and I do look forward to that, but I clearly hear you, (I’ll) be glad to meet with you on it. I'll meet with you again on it if you want to. And hopefully when you come over, we'll meet up. We'll meet and even have other meetings if you would like. And I do understand the issue, but I'm really looking forward to diving into more of the detail," he said.
Florida Senator Rick Scott, a pugnacious republican politician and strong supporter of Donald Trump, was even more blunt in his criticism of Irish policy. "Several members of the Irish Government have made inflammatory, one-sided statements blaming Israel for the conflict of the Middle East while ignoring terrorism by Hamas and Hezbollah. How are you going to be able to push back against this rhetoric and hold them accountable for disparaging a US ally?"
Mr Walsh said: "It is a really important topic, and something I look forward to actually getting a lot more information on in the future. But first, I'd like to say that Ireland did at least condemn the October 7th attack. So that was a good start, and President Trump has made it very clear that Israel is an ally, right? And I am fully on board with that, and any anti-Semitism throughout the whole world is will not be tolerated. And I agree with that also.
"I'm looking forward to discussing more and just having open conversation with them (the Irish government) to talk it through and so they understand what our role is in that".
There was a more particular criticism from Senator Ted Cruz, the Texas republican who stood against Donald Trump for the party’s presidential nomination in 2016. He was concerned about Ireland’s support for the International Criminal Court in the Hague, which the US is not a party to (neither is Russia nor Israel).
"The ICC has issued arrest warrants against Israeli officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to punish Israel for its campaign against Hamas. These warrants are utterly illegitimate. They are setting a precedent to go after countries that are not members of the court, which exposes American officials and soldiers to acute risks. Ireland has filed a motion to directly boost the ICC campaign," he said.
He added: "The Netherlands host the ICC and its foreign minister has said that they will enforce the ICC warrants. We've heard multiple times today that Ireland and the Netherlands have deep partnerships with the US, which is undoubtedly true. It is equally true that their support for the ICC endangers core American interests, if confirmed, how do each of you intend to approach these issues? And we'll start with you Mr Walsh."
Edward Walsh said: "There's a lot to talk about there, and I have not been fully briefed on that item. I know that it's a big issue, though, and I know the big concern of yours and many others, even President Trump, has let me know that what we need to do about it is communicate the way we feel about it, and then relay that message back to you guys and figure out a way to really hold them reliable, to actually helping us, and we're an ally of Israel, so it's a difficult conversation to tell you the truth, and I'd be glad to relay your message and President Trump's message over to them at any time.
Senator Cruz replied: "Well that's helpful, and I will say it is a clear assault on Israel, that Israel is not a party to the ICC, but it is also a clear assault on America, because America is not a party to the ICC, and the same illegitimate authority that claims the ability to issue an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu would also claim the ability to issue an arrest warrant For President Trump, for the Secretary of State, for the Secretary of Defense, for American generals, for American soldiers. We're not a party to the court. The court has no jurisdiction, and it is illegitimately asserting power over nations that have not acceded to its authority.
He then turned to the nominee for Ambassador to the Netherlands, Joseph Popolo, a businessman from Texas, who said: "President Trump and Secretary Rubio have been very clear, this is totally unacceptable. And while the Dutch are great partners, we have a very, very clear difference here.
He continued: "I'm going to be delivering the message that this is illegitimate, that they should not be targeting people who are not part of the agreement. I believe we have partial sanctions in place, and the President may very well choose to increase that pressure if we don't get the proper recognition from the ICC."
Trade, commerce and Tariffs played little part in the questioning of any of the nominees for Ambassador. the three nominees for posting to EU capitals are all businessmen, and the three countries they are posted to are all big business and investment partners of the US. The committee seemed totally comfortable with their competence in dealing with that aspect of their brief.
The only mention of Tariffs was from Senator Jeanne Shaeen, the ranking Democrat member of the committee, who said "Mr Walsh, Ireland has been the target of tariffs by this administration. Tariffs on Ireland not only raise prices for American consumers and businesses, they undermine the delicate balance of peace that was made possible by the Good Friday Agreement.
She added: "If confirmed, I'd like to hear how you'll work to maintain the successful peace agreement?’
He replied that the Good Friday Agreement would be protected through dialogue, which would include regularly updating Senators on his observations from conversations in Ireland.
Defence and security was an issue for most Senators, with the nominees to France and the Netherlands advised to urge Paris and the Hague to spend more on defence (both have hit or exceeded the NATO 2% of GDP spending target).
For Ireland – a non-NATO country – there was only one mention of increased defence spending, and that came from the Committee Chairman James Risch.
"Mr Walsh, the US and Ireland share important common interests. Ireland serves as a gateway for the critical telecom infrastructure linking Europe and the United States. And with this strategic position comes a significant responsibility to address the very real threats of it. I've previously called for Ireland to increase its defense spending to safeguard vital undersea cables from our shared enemies and to help you address this with your Irish counterparts."
Read more:
US Senate committee holds hearing for Ambassador to Ireland nominee
Senator Risch was also complementary about the Netherlands contribution to US national security through its restriction of exports of very high-tech computer chip manufacturing technology to China.
"Those of us who work in the national security lane so much appreciate their understanding of their place in the supply chain. Semiconductors are a national security issue. It's a really unfortunate circumstance that we've been through this year, in recent years, where the United States invented this technology, and then the manufacturers and inventors drawn by the siren of cheap wages. Moved everything to Asia, and now, because it is so critical to everything we make, particularly defense, but in automobiles, refrigerators, anything you have has these in the Dutch play an incredibly critical role, because they're the bottleneck. They make the machines that make the machines that make the semiconductors, and they have been very good with us as far as understanding that selling the highest technology to the Chinese is a real problem for national security. They've been tremendous in that regard. And I hope you'll be able to ho to convey the appreciation that we have for that."
Mr Popolos said: "The State Department did a great job of briefing us in certain things, and that is one of them, just how critically important a partner The Dutch are in national security and technology and export controls with respect to China. So absolutely, I will convey those thoughts."
And that was pretty much the point of this hearing – it was a chance for US Senators, particularly in the Republican majority, to deliver their own riding instructions to the ambassador-designates.
It wasn’t so much a questioning of the ambassadors, as a setting down of foreign policy talking points that the senators want to see being delivered in Dublin, Paris and the Hague for the remainder of President Trump’s term.
