Ambassador nominee: Bahamas a US protectorate ‘for all intents … – The Hill

President Trump's nominee to become U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas said in a Senate hearingWednesdaythat the British Commonwealth realm is "for all intents and purposes" a protectorate of the United States.

As a British Commonwealth realm, the Bahamas is a sovereign state that shares a head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, with the United Kingdom and 14 other nations.

Sen. Bob MenendezRobert MenendezTrump admin not opposed to new war authorization Bipartisan group, Netflix actress back bill for American Latino Museum The Mideast-focused Senate letter we need to see MORE (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, questioned Doug Manchester, Trump's nominee for the position, on his views about the archipelago's territorial status.

"Well certainly, for all intents and purposes, we believe that it is a protectorate," replied Manchester, who was a major fundraiser for President Trump's campaign.

Manchester then explained that he based his view off of the presence of Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security officers in the island nation.

"We are obviously working with the Royal Bahamian Police Force, which we want to continue to support, who are doing a great job in the interdiction of human trafficking and drugs and also gunrunning," Manchester added.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force is the national law enforcement agency of the Bahamas.

Manchester, a well-known San Diego businessman, was an early supporter of Trump, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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Ambassador nominee: Bahamas a US protectorate 'for all intents ... - The Hill