AOC applauds Democratic Sen. Merkley as 'courageous' for rejecting Rahm Emanuel as Biden's Japan ambassador nominee

• Two Democrats, Sens. Merkley and Markey, opposed Biden's pick for ambassador to Japan: Rahm Emanuel.
• AOC applauded Merkley as courageous for standing against Emanuel's nomination.

Progressive Democrats are taking a stand against President Joe Biden's pick for US ambassador to Japan - former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday lauded Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley for opposing Emanuel's nomination to the key diplomatic post.

"Thank you @SenJeffMerkley," Ocasio-Cortez said in a tweet. "This was the courageous and right thing to do."

Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives have excoriated the Biden administration for tapping Emanuel to be the top diplomat to one of America's most important allies.

"This nomination is deeply shameful," Ocasio-Cortez said in the statement in September. "As mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel helped cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald - a mere teenager when he was shot 16 times in the back by a Chicago Police Officer. This alone should be flatly disqualifying for any position of public trust, let alone representing the United States as an ambassador."

Merkley was joined by Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, a fellow Democrat and Senate Foreign Relations committee member, in expressing opposition to Emanuel's nomination. The committee ultimately voted to advance Emanuel's nomination to the full Senate, but it's unusual for senators to oppose nominees put forward by presidents from their own party.

"Black Lives Matter. Here in the halls of Congress, it is important that we not just speak and believe these words, but put them into action in the decisions we make. I have carefully considered Mayor Emanuel's record-and the input of civil rights leaders, criminal justice experts, and local elected officials who have reached out to the Senate to weigh in-and I have reached the decision that I cannot support his nomination to serve as a US Ambassador," Merkley said in a statement on his position.

"While I respect Mayor Emanuel's many years of service, and the points of view of my colleagues who have come to a different conclusion, I will be voting 'no' when his nomination comes before the committee," the Oregon senator added.

There are 11 Democrats on the committee, and Merkley and Markey were the only two to oppose Emanuel's nomination. Some Republicans - including the committee's ranking member, GOP Sen. Jim Risch, also publicly said they favored advancing Emanuel.

Emanuel, who was chief of staff in President Barack Obama's White House before becoming Chicago mayor in 2001, has faced fierce criticism over his handling of the 2014 fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald. Critics have tied Emmanuel to an alleged cover-up of the shooting after video footage showed that the police department's initial narrative on the deadly incident was false.

The footage, which showed McDonald walking away from police when he was shot, was released 13 months after the shooting and after Emanuel won a second term in office. Emanuel has been accused of delaying the release of the footage to boost his chances of getting reelected, though he's denied this.

Jason Van Dyke, the officer who fired 16 shots at McDonald, was convicted of murdering him and is serving an almost seven-year sentence.

Despite progressive opposition, the White House continues to offer full-throated support for Emanuel as the next US ambassador to Japan.

"President Biden chose Rahm Emanuel to be his Ambassador to Japan because he knows that Rahm will bring the experience, the policy chops, the relationships, and the work ethic to do an important job with a critical partner country," White House deputy press secretary Chris Meagher told Insider. "The President knows Rahm and has confidence in him, and believes that he will be a great representative in Japan."