Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday voted to confirm Dennis Hankins as the U.S. ambassador to Haiti as the Caribbean country faces escalating violence and political uncertainty. The near-unanimous vote comes about 10 months after President Joe Biden nominated the longtime diplomat to the post in May 2023. Hankins was confirmed in an 89-1 vote, with 10 senators not voting. The White House had urged a 'swift confirmation' for Hankins amid growing gang violence in Haiti.
The gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, called 'Barbecue,' had threatened additional violence if Henry did not step down. Gangs in Haiti attacked government institutions and the National Penitentiary, which led to nearly all of the estimated 4,000 inmates escaping. In response to the unrest, the U.S. added security forces at the U.S. Embassy and airlifted nonessential personnel out of the country.