She was going to represent the United States in Belgium. Things have changed.
On Wednesday, August 2, the White House announced their nomination of Jamie McCourt to be “Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary” of the United States to France and Monaco. McCourt has previously been announced as the nomination for the ambassador to Belgium. Both her withdrawal as Ambassador to Belgium, and her nomination to be Ambassador of France and Monaco must be approved by the U.S. Senate.
She’s not totally unknown to the French. McCourt is the ex-wife of Frank McCourt, a former co-owner of the LA Dodgers and current owner of the French football club Olympique de Marseille.
McCourt, age 63, has no short list of accomplishments. A graduate of the Sorbonne in Paris, a lawyer, and a business woman, McCourt was a co-owner of the Dodgers with her husband just before their separation. (The Dodgers were actually a part of the divorce and settlement terms.) She was named CEO by the club in 2009, becoming the highest ranking woman in Major League Baseball (MLB). Her company, Jamie Enterprises, launched in 2009 to support tech, biotech, and culture startups. ZipCar is among her most notable investments.
Besides graduating from the Sorbonne, McCourt’s relation to France extends to Aix-en-Provence, where she has lived and studied.
According to the Los Angeles Times, McCourt gave $400,000 to then-candidate Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. This practice of nominating campaign donors to diplomatic posts is common in the US.
