"We heard that former Rep Billy Long, Trump's nominee for ambassador to Iceland, joked to members on the floor last night that Iceland will be the 52nd state and he'll be governor, Politico wrote in its morning newsletter. The reaction in Reykjavik was swift. In a statement to the Guardian, Iceland's foreign ministry said it had contacted the US embassy for clarification."
"The ministry for foreign affairs contacted the US embassy in Iceland to verify the veracity of the alleged comments, it said. In a petition calling on Iceland's foreign minister, Katrin Gunnarsdottir, to reject Long as ambassador to the country, critics said: These words, spoken by Billy Long, whom Donald Trump has nominated as ambassador to Iceland, may have been said in jest."
Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to Iceland, former Representative Billy Long, joked that Iceland should become the 52nd US state and that he would be governor. Iceland's foreign ministry contacted the US embassy in Reykjavik to verify the comments. Critics launched a petition urging Iceland's foreign minister Katrin Gunnarsdottir to reject the nomination, calling the remarks offensive to Iceland's sovereignty and history; the petition gathered more than 3,200 signatures within hours. Long later apologized, saying the comments were made in jest while joking about Jeff Landry being governor of Greenland. The incident occurred amid heightened attention to Arctic territorial interests.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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