Trump's religious freedom nominee is being held up by a former political foe, his allies say

In April, President Donald Trump nominated Mark Walker to head his administration’s efforts on global religious freedom.

WASHINGTON — In April, President Donald Trump nominated Mark Walker, a former Baptist minister and congressman who had served on the House Republican leadership team, to head his administration’s efforts on global religious freedom.

“In his new role, Mark will work incredibly hard to expose Human Rights Violations, champion Faith, and help us secure Life Saving Results,” Trump wrote on Truth Social that day.

But for the past eight months, Walker’s nomination — for a noncontroversial role in the State Department — has inexplicably languished in the Senate, while many others tapped after him have already been confirmed.

A Trump administration official and two other GOP sources told NBC News there is one senator who has been working behind the scenes to derail Walker’s confirmation: Ted Budd, of his own home-state, North Carolina, who defeated Walker in a bitterly contested Republican primary for the Senate seat just three years ago.

The delay — which Walker personally told Trump about Thursday in a phone call — has infuriated Walker’s allies, who say it’s imperative that the Senate confirm him as Trump’s ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom.