Trump picks businessman Leandro Rizzuto Jr. to be ambassador to the Organization of American States

President-elect Trump announced on Wednesday that he is tapping Leandro Rizzuto Jr., former Conair executive and consul to Bermuda, to be an ambassador for the Organization of American States.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce Leandro Rizzuto as Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS),” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.

“For many years, Lee successfully ran and grew Conair into one of the most successful companies in the United States,” Trump continued. “Additionally, Lee served with distinction as U.S. Consul General to Bermuda.”

“Lee will be fantastic as our next Ambassador to the OAS!” he added.

The purpose of the OAS is “to strengthen peace and security in the hemisphere; promote representative democracy; ensure the peaceful settlement of disputes among members,” according to its website.

Rizzuto, a longtime Trump donor, was tapped in 2020 to be the principal officer at the US Consulate General in Bermuda – a role that did not require Senate confirmation.

His previous nomination in 2018 as ambassador to Barbados was stalled in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and he was not renominated for the post. Rizzuto faced scrutiny at the time following a CNN report that found Rizzuto shared unfounded conspiracy theories about Trump’s political opponents during the 2016 presidential campaign.