The Latest: Callista Gingrich confirmed as Vatican envoy
By Associated Press
Oct 16, 2017 5:12 PM CDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Senate's consideration of Callista Gingrich to be U.S. ambassador to the Vatican (all times local):

6 p.m.

The GOP-led Senate has confirmed Callista Gingrich's nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.

Senators voted overwhelmingly, 70-23, to approve her for the post. President Donald Trump had announced in May that he would nominate her.

Callista Gingrich is the wife of former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He's a close ally of Trump's. She was a congressional aide when she began a six-year affair with Newt Gingrich. He was a married Republican congressman at the time.

She is Newt Gingrich's third wife and he converted to Catholicism to marry her.

Callista Gingrich has been the president and CEO of Gingrich Productions, a multimedia production and consulting company in Arlington, Virginia, since 2007.

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11:12 a.m.

The Republican-led Senate is on track to confirm Callista Gingrich as President Donald Trump's ambassador to the Vatican.

A vote on Gingrich's nomination to the post is set for Monday evening.

Callista Gingrich is the wife of former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He's a close ally of Trump's.

She's president of Gingrich Productions. Callista Gingrich was a congressional aide when she began a six-year affair with Newt Gingrich, then a married Republican congressman.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held Callista Gingrich's confirmation hearing in mid-July. She sought to assure skeptical Democrats on the panel that Trump wanted the United States to be an environmental leader even after pulling out of the accord aimed at combatting global warming.

Democrats have criticized Trump sharply for withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement.