President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate Jake Sullivan as his national security adviser and Linda Thomas-Greenfield as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, multiple sources familiar with the plans told NBC News.
Sullivan served in the Obama administration as national security adviser to then-Vice President Biden before serving as director of policy planning at the State Department and as deputy chief of staff to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Sullivan later served as a senior policy adviser to Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Thomas-Greenfield served as the assistant secretary of state for Africa from 2013 to 2017 under former President Barack Obama. Before that stint, she served as U.S. ambassador to Liberia.
The news comes one day before incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain said Biden will begin publicly naming his Cabinet officials. NBC News reported Sunday that former deputy secretary of state Antony Blinken is expected to be named secretary of state.
It is expected the role of U.N. Ambassador will be elevated to a Cabinet-level position in a Biden administration, two sources told NBC News.
At the outset of the Trump administration, Nikki Haley, then-U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, enjoyed Cabinet-level status but after she left in 2018, the position was no longer part of the Cabinet. Under Obama, the position was Cabinet level. Whether or not the position is Cabinet level is under the president’s discretion.
Meanwhile, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will meet virtually with the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday as the surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continues heading into Thanksgiving.
The non-partisan organization includes the mayors of more than 1,400 cities, each with a population of 30,000 or more.
The conference has pushed for state and local aid to city governments in future coronavirus relief as negotiations have stalled in recent weeks.
In a statement following Biden’s projected victory over President Donald Trump, Louisville, Kentucky, Mayor Greg Fischer, president of the conference, congratulated Biden and Harris.
“We stand ready as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to come together and work with you to defeat the coronavirus and rebuild our economy,” the Democrat said. “In the days ahead, mayors across this great nation will do all that they can to help you forge a path forward that strengthens our communities and sustains our common humanity.”
Trump still refuses to concede his loss as legal challenges continue to come up short.
In other transition news:
- Veteran diplomat Antony Blinken is Biden’s top choice for secretary of state.
- The president-elect will begin announcing Cabinet picks this week.
- Former N.J. Gov. Chris Christie calls Trump’s legal efforts a ‘national embarrassment’ as more Republicans speak out.
- GOP Sen. Cramer says it’s ‘past time’ to start transition as challenges continue.
Geoff Bennett is a White House correspondent for NBC News.
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