Jeffrey Ross Gunter(born January 31, 1961[1]) is an Americandermatologist,healthcare executive, and diplomat who served asU.S. Ambassador to Icelandfrom 2019 to 2021.[2][3][4]Gunter was a candidate for theRepublicannomination for U.S. Senate from Nevada in the2024 election,finishing second toSam Brown.
Jeff Gunter | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| United States Ambassador to Iceland | |
| In office July 2, 2019 – January 20, 2021 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Robert C. Barber |
| Succeeded by | Carrin Patman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 31, 1961 |
| Political party | Democratic(before 2018) Republican(2018–present)[citation needed] |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley(BA) University of Southern California(MD) |
Education
editGunter graduated fromBeverly Hills High School.[5]He received hisBachelor of Artsin psychology from theUniversity of California, Berkeleyin 1983 and hisDoctor of Medicinedegree from theUSC School of Medicinein 1987.[6]
Gunter completed hisresidencyin 1991 at theLos Angeles General Medical Center,where he served as the chief resident of dermatology.[5]
Career
editIn addition to practicing dermatology, Gunter served as a Clinical Professor of Medicine at theKeck School of Medicine of USC.[5]
U.S. Ambassador to Iceland
editAppointment
editOn August 21, 2018, Trump nominated Gunter to serve asU.S. Ambassador to Iceland.[5]TheSenatetook no action on the nomination, which expired on January 3, 2019, at the end of the115th Congress.[7]Trump then renominated Gunter on January 16, 2019, at the outset of the116th Congress.On May 23, 2019, following a hearing in theSenate Foreign Relations Committee,Gunter was confirmed by the Senate byvoice vote.[8]Gunter presented his credentials on July 2, 2019.[2]
Gunter had never visitedIcelandprior to his nomination to the ambassadorship.[9]
Tenure
editIn July 2020, CBS News reported that Gunter was "paranoid" about his security in the Icelandic capital,Reykjavík,despite its status as one of the world's safest cities. Gunter asked the State Department to seek special permission from the Icelandic government for him tocarry a gun,had requested to wear a "stab-proof vest" and have door-to-doorarmored carservice.[10]Three diplomatic sources interviewed by CBS News said that Gunter was persuaded not to arm himself because doing so would be perceived as insulting to Iceland; the embassy nevertheless placed an advertisement in the Icelandic press seeking full-time Icelandic bodyguards, which CBS News' sources described as a way to "placate Gunter's 'irrational' concerns."[10]
According to those interviewed by CBS News, the work climate at the Embassy in Reykjavík was "untenable" under Gunter's leadership. In fewer than two years on the job, Gunter had sevendeputy chiefs of mission(DCMs). (The deputy chief of mission is the second-highest position at the embassy.)[10]One DCM was reportedly rejected by Gunter because the ambassador "didn't like the look of him" at their first meeting.[10]The second DCM spent only six months in Iceland, and was followed a series of short-term temporary DCMs with whom Gunter reportedly clashed.[10]CBS News also reported that Gunter "accused others of various, unsubstantiated infractions, including trying to undermine him to Washington and being complicit with the 'deep state.' "[10]
In February 2020, after taking personal leave after a conference in Washington, Gunter refused to return to his post in Reykjavík. The State Department attributed Gunter's delayed return to Iceland to theCOVID-19 pandemic;however, "multiple sources in Washington, Reykjavík, and elsewhere said Gunter wanted to work remotely from California and told senior officials he would not go back overseas unless expressly ordered to do so by Secretary of StateMike Pompeo".[10]A series of senior State Department officials failed to persuade Gunter to return. After Pompeo called him, Gunter returned to Iceland in May 2020.[10]Gunter is controversial in Iceland, with many objecting to his description ofCOVID-19as "the Invisible China Virus!" on Twitter.[10]
In late October 2020, Icelandic newspaperFréttablaðiðreported that an employee of the embassy had contracted COVID-19. The article also stated that the relocation of the embassy was fast-tracked despite the fact that an employee had contracted the coronavirus. Gunter reportedly sought to ensure that the move would be complete before the upcomingUS presidential election.[11] Following the publication, the US embassy Facebook page posted a statement claiming the article was “irresponsible,” “shameful,” and “fake news.”[12]The statement asserted that the embassy was "one of the safest havens from COVID-19 in Reykjavík." The post incorrectly claimed that Iceland had one of the highest rates of COVID-19 infections in Europe.[13]
In 2021, the State Department's Office of the Inspector General released a report indicating that Gunter had created a "'threatening and intimidating environment'" at the embassy.[14]
Political involvement
editGunter was registered as a Democrat in California, but did not contribute to Democratic candidates.[14]Gunter's dermatology practice began in California in 1992 and expanded to Nevada in 1995; he changed his residency to Nevada in 2019.[15]
Donations to Republican Party
editHe has a history of donating toRepublican Partycandidates and is a member of the board of directors of the Republican Jewish Coalition.[16]In2016,he donated $58,563 to several state Republican Party organizations, $33,400 to theRepublican National Committeeand $5,400 (the maximum contribution) toDonald Trump's presidential campaign.[5]Gunter also gave $100,000 to the Trump Victory PAC and $100,000 to Trump's2017 inaugural committee.[9]
2024 Senate campaign
editGunter ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate from Nevada in 2024, seeking to challenge Democratic incumbentJacky Rosen.[14]In the Republican primary, he ran againstSam Brown,former state RepresentativeJim Marchant,former lieutenant governor candidate Tony Grady, and nine other candidates.[14][17]
Republican Party leaders discouraged Gunter from entering the 2024 race, in part because of his record as ambassador and in part because he had not previously voted in any Nevada election.[14]TheNational Republican Senatorial Committeeand its chairSteve Daines,as well as Senate Minority LeaderMitch McConnell,instead supported Brown.[14][17]TheKoch network'sAmericans for Prosperity Actionsuper PACalso ran ads in support of Brown.[14]On the campaign trail, Gunter emphasized his loyalty to Trump, described himself as a "staunch supporter" of Trump and what he called Trump's "brilliant" policies,[14]and airing a television ad calling himself "110% pro-Trump" and using Trump slogans.[17]During the race, Gunter declined to say whether he believed the 2020 elections was "stolen" from Trump, declined to say whether he supported a national restriction on abortion, and expressed uncertainty on thecauses of climate change.[15]
References
edit- ^"About us - Ambassador Jeffrey Ross Gunter, former U.S. Ambassador to Iceland".April 27, 2022.
- ^ab"Jeffrey Ross Gunter (?–)".Office of the Historian.RetrievedMarch 28,2020.
- ^"Former ambassador to Iceland Jeffrey Gunter mulling Senate run in Nevada".The Nevada Independent.June 6, 2023.
- ^Vakil, Caroline (August 7, 2023)."Jeffrey Gunter, ambassador to Iceland under Trump, announces Senate run in Nevada".thehill.
- ^abcde"Lancaster dermatologist appointed ambassador to Iceland".The Antelope Valley Times. August 22, 2018.RetrievedMarch 28,2020.
- ^"Ambassador Jeffrey Ross Gunter".US Embassy in Iceland.Archived fromthe originalon April 13, 2020.RetrievedMarch 28,2020.
- ^PN2431 — Jeffrey Ross Gunter — Department of State: 115th Congress (2017-2018),Congress.gov.
- ^PN126 — Jeffrey Ross Gunter — Department of State: 116th Congress (2019-2020),Congress.gov.
- ^abEmily R. Siegel, Andrew W. Lehren,Brandy Zadrozny,Dan De Luce & Vanessa Swales,Donors to the Trump inaugural committee got ambassador nominations. But are they qualified?,NBC News (April 3, 2019).
- ^abcdefghiRuffini, Christina (July 26, 2020)."Controversial U.S. Ambassador to Iceland wants firearm, security for Reykjavik post".CBS News.RetrievedJuly 26,2020.
- ^Oddur Ævar Gunnarsson."Kappkosta við flutninga fyrir kosningar í kjölfar smits".Fréttablaðið.October 29, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020(in Icelandic).
- ^US Embassy Reykjavík Iceland (October 29, 2020)."Has Fake News Arrived in Iceland?".Facebook.Archived fromthe originalon November 20, 2020.RetrievedNovember 24,2020.
- ^Gréta Sigríður Einarsdóttir."US Embassy Accuses Icelandic Newspaper of Irresponsible Journalism and Fake News".Iceland Review.October 30, 2020, Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^abcdefgh"The GOP Senate candidate whose Trump ambassador stint is coming back to haunt him".POLITICO.August 14, 2023.
- ^abJessica Hill,Former ambassador lays out priorities in race for Senate,Las Vegas Review-Journal(September 21, 2023).
- ^Samuels, Ben (August 17, 2023)."Revealed: Who the big Jewish donors are backing in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries".The Forward.
- ^abcGabby Birenbaum,Week later, underdog Nevada GOP Senate hopeful Gunter's ad buy begins to materialize,Nevada Independent(April 10, 2024).