WASHINGTON – A California prosecutor with aspirations for higher office will be nominated by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to serve as US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.Sources tell The Jerusalem Post that Elan Carr, of Los Angeles, was under consideration for several months and in recent days has been acclimating to the State Department, joining the Trump administration with no experience in government.His appointment comes two years into Donald Trump’s presidency, and just as a bipartisan majority of lawmakers has been pressing his administration to fill the congressionally mandated role.Carr ran and lost a race in 2014 against Rep. Ted Lieu of California for a seat in Congress, and in 2016 also lost a bid to join the LA County Board of Supervisors supported by Sheldon Adelson, a Republican mega-donor closely affiliated with Trump. Carr and Lieu have reportedly maintained a cordial relationship since the largely positive race.Other candidates for special envoy included George Klein, formerly of the Republican Jewish Coalition, who turned down the role over concerns with its heavy travel requirements; and Bruce Blakeman, a veteran of New York politics who was favored by the president.The office was created in 2004 and previously headed by Gregg Rickman, Hannah Rosenthal and Ira Forman.
