Biden taking his sweet time filling ambassador posts, angering top diplomats

US President Joe Biden has been presented with the names of top contenders for ambassadorships to the European Union, NATO and other high-level posts, including China and Russia, and is expected to make a decision on at least some of those positions in April, but people familiar with the matter tell CNN that the president is still weeks away from deciding on the broader makeup of his diplomatic corps.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not have an update on the matter when pressed on Tuesday.

The drawn-out process is the subject of rising frustration among some top-level donors who have been eyeing some of the posts, as well as senior diplomats frustrated with how the vacancies are preventing them from operating properly.

Early frustrations at the State Department are rooted in fears about whether the president will uphold his commitment to enable career diplomats, State Department officials tell CNN.

Two rumored candidates for the vacancy in Israel are former ambassador Dan Shapiro and longtime Biden donor Michael Adler. The latter candidate has indicated that he’d be interested in the role, though campaign surrogates of the president have expressed concern regarding the appointment of someone with no diplomatic experience.

Sources familiar with the matter have told The Times of Israel that an appointment of the Israeli ambassadorship is not expected before June.