UPDATE 1-Trump picks envoy to Canada Kelly Craft for U.N. ambassador

President Donald Trump said on Friday he was nominating Kelly Craft, currently the U.S. ambassador to Canada, as his envoy to the United Nations.

Craft, a top Republican donor from Kentucky, rose this week as a serious contender for the post based on a recommendation by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a fellow Kentuckian. It was not immediately clear if Craft would hold a Cabinet-level position, as the previous ambassador Nikki Haley did. Regardless, she will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

"Kelly has done an outstanding job representing our Nation and I have no doubt that, under her leadership, our Country will be represented at the highest level," Trump said in a tweet announcing his decision. (Reporting by Mohammad Zargham, Mary Milliken and Patricia Zengerle Editing by Chris Reese and James Dalgleish)