Senator Ted Cruz questioning the nominee for U.S. ambassador to Somalia at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, in a still from a video he shared on X. Photo: Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) on X.
Senator Ted Cruz told the nominee for U.S. ambassador to Somalia that his support depends on whether the State Department follows President Donald Trump’s guidance on Somaliland, Jewish Insider reported.
The exchange took place at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, and Cruz later posted a clip on X. According to Jewish Insider, the nominee, Devin Kennington, a career diplomat, told the committee that current U.S. policy recognizes Somalia’s sovereignty over the territory, but also that he believes Washington has an interest in deeper engagement with Somaliland.
Cruz pressed him on how that squares with the president’s stated view of Somaliland. Cruz said his vote would turn on whether the State Department follows the president’s guidance, and Horn Diplomat and the Somali Guardian carried similar accounts of the exchange. Mereja Media found no State Department comment on the exchange; Jewish Insider also reported that the department did not respond to its questions.
The question gained weight after Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland, on December 26, 2025. Israel’s ambassador presented credentials in Hargeisa on November 1, according to Al Jazeera reporting. Somalia’s federal government condemned the recognition and says Somaliland is part of its territory.
The nominee’s confirmation is not assured, and the positions cited here come from the senator and the nominee as reported by the outlets named below, and from the posted clip. Mereja Media has not obtained the full hearing transcript.
Sources
- Jewish Insider, Cruz ties support for Somalia ambassador nominee to U.S. recognition of Somaliland
- Horn Diplomat, Ted Cruz pushes U.S. ambassador nominee on Somaliland recognition
- Somali Guardian, Cruz says Somalia ambassador confirmation depends on Somaliland recognition
- Al Jazeera, Israel’s first ambassador to Somaliland presents credentials in Hargeisa
- Senator Ted Cruz on X