LATEST: US AFC chief remains in situ; likely to be made ambassador within days; Treasury sources slam ‘fake news’ reports

By PAUL O’DONOGHUE, Senior Correspondent

JOHN Hurley, the United States’ top AFC chief, is being strongly linked to an ambassador role.

The development comes following reports that Mr Hurley decided to quit his position as Undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI), one of the country’s most important national security roles.

The Washington Post reported that Mr Hurley “began telling associates in recent weeks that he was leaving his post”.

It also linked his departure to the administration’s crackdown on fraud in the Somali immigrant community in Minnesota.

A Treasury source told AML Intelligence that “the whole thing is fake”.

The source said Hurley was still in negotiations with the White House to become an ambassador “which would be a promotion.”

“He will likely be an ambassador,” the senior source said.

AML Intelligence reported earlier this month that Mr Hurley was being considered as ambassador to Germany, an important diplomatic post which has been open for some time. 

Mr Hurley also publicly denied reports of a split with President Trump’s AFC policies.

“Anyone who has told you I do not proudly support these America first efforts is either uninformed or malicious,” he said.

In a statement, Hurley praised the work of his team at the US Treasury as “the tip of the spear pushing back to stop Somalia fraud in Minnesota.”

Hurley won a bronze star during the first Gulf war as a soldier before entering a career in finance. During the first Trump administration, he served on the president’s intelligence advisory board.

Mr Hurley has played a pivotal role in the administration’s sanctions against Russia and talks with Ukraine. He has also been heavily involved in the building up of sanctions on drug cartels in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America as well as the crackdown on Iran’s oil trade.