WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration is considering Callista Gingrich, the third wife of former Georgia lawmaker and Donald Trump confidante Newt Gingrich, to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, according to The New York Times.
The newspaper reported the papal news on Thursday, citing a "person briefed on the discussions":
Mr. Gingrich, reached by telephone, said that he was aware that his wife had been on a list for the job, but declined to say where things stand.
If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, the move would represent a major career shift for Gingrich, who has never held elected office. Before taking over as president of Gingrich Productions, a production company she started with her husband, Gingrich spent roughly two decades as a Capitol Hill aide.
The Times reported that William Simon Jr., a friend of Rudy Giuliani, is also in the running.
Gingrich is Catholic and has been a paid member of the choir of Washington's Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, according to The Washington Post.
Thursday's news was all the more surprising given that Gingrich's husband was always seen as the more likely of the two to formally serve in the Trump administration. Newt Gingrich was at one point under consideration to be Trump's running mate or member of the Cabinet, but he withdrew his name from consideration for secretary of state -- the position he later short-listed -- after it became clear he wasn't a front-runner. He continues to serve as one of Trump's chief defenders on cable news and social media.
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