Biden to nominate Jeff Flake as ambassador to Turkey Getty Images Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images President Joe Biden is nominating former Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake to serve as ambassador to Turkey By Jeff Zeleny, Chief National Affairs Correspondent President Joe Biden is nominating former Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake to serve as ambassador to Turkey, a White House official told CNN, as the administration continues filling out its roster of ambassadors. Flake, a longtime Republican member of the House and Senate, emerged as a Biden supporter after becoming one of former President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics. He is a former member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.