WASHINGTON — At least four Republicans in the U.S. Senate say they won't support Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib to be President Donald Trump's ambassador to Kuwait, meaning he lacks a majority of votes needed to advance out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Sens. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, John Curtis of Utah and John Cornyn of Texas indicated this week that they are no's on Ghalib's pick.

And Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas already said last week at Ghalib's hearing that he won't back him because he's not qualified for the post, citing examples of his past remarks on Israel and Jews and positions that diverge from Trump's on the Middle East.

Another GOP senator, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, sharply questioned Ghalib at Thursday's hearing but hasn't said how he'll vote. A spokesman declined to comment Tuesday.

All five GOP senators sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee, where Ghalib's nomination could stall in a tie or fail if enough GOP senators vote with Democrats on the panel to oppose him.

"Senator Curtis is deeply concerned about Mr. Ghalib’s nomination," Curtis spokesman Adam Cloch said. "It is crucial that we expand peace in the Middle East and that begins with the acceptance of Israel’s right to exist. Ghalib has demonstrated he is sympathetic to beliefs that run completely contrary to that goal."

McCormick's office confirmed his opposition to Ghalib, and Cornyn told Politico on Monday he'd vote no. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning Ghalib can only afford to lose three votes and rely on Vice President JD Vance to break a tie in a narrow nomination vote.

Ghalib was nominated by Trump in March for the post after Ghalib endorsed Trump for president last fall.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Ghalib said over the weekend that he remains committed to serving as ambassador to Kuwait and that Trump, in a Friday phone call, had expressed his "loyalty, sincerity, and unwavering support." In a Saturday post on Facebook, Ghalib gave no indication that he intends to withdraw.

"We agreed that my public service will continue, and that I will keep serving this great nation with his encouragement and the trust of my community," Ghalib wrote of his call with Trump.

"I remain the mayor of my city, accountable only to my constituents, the people I proudly serve. If confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait, my highest priority will be protecting the interests and safety of the American people while advancing the policies of the President’s administration."

At Ghalib's hearing last week, McCormick questioned how he could justify "sympathetically" calling Iraq's Saddam Hussein a martyr and also raised Hamtramck's resolution in support of the movement to boycott, divest and impose sanctions on Israel.

McCormick asked three times whether Ghalib respects Trump's view that Israel should be the national homeland of the Jewish people, and Ghalib didn't directly answer yes or no. "I think everybody, we can coexist in the region," Ghalib said.

Cruz went after Ghalib for social media posts that he "liked" on Facebook, including a comment comparing Jews to monkeys. Ghalib, in response, said he had a “bad habit” of acknowledging comments on posts.

“I don’t agree with it, senator,” Ghalib said. "Clicking on it doesn't mean I endorse it."

"Well, actually, it means exactly that," Cruz said.

Cruz also said Ghalib's "long-standing," publicly stated positions about Israel and Mideast policy were in conflict with those of the United States and "disqualifying," including his criticism of the landmark Abraham Accords; his description of Iraq's Saddam Hussein as a "martyr," and his praise for the Muslim Brotherhood as "an inspiration."

The Abraham Accords were a 2020 deal Trump secured in his first term that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries.

A number of Senate Democrats on the panel also went after Ghalib including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who told Ghalib she harbors "grave concerns" about his remarks, particularly his description of reports of sexual violence during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel as "lies" and deception.

She noted that when Ghalib met with her staff, he insisted there was no documented evidence of sexual violence on Oct 7, when there is evidence, Shaheen said. "That just shows to me a lack of recognition of what was going on," she said.

Ghalib said he condemned "all the atrocities and abuses that happened Oct. 7." He called it a "horrible" and "tragic" day.

"The only reason I did that, and I think it was in front of the protest in front of my office, is because President Biden, in a statement, talked about beheaded babies and stuff," Ghalib told Shaheen.

Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat from Nevada who is Jewish, accused Ghalib of choosing to "inflame divisions and traffic in antisemitism," including characterizing leaders he doesn't like as "becoming Jewish."

"Now you can disagree with the Israeli government, but peddling antisemitism in such a public manner as an elected official, as a community leader, is beyond the pale," Rosen told Ghalib. "Given these other statements, I will not be supporting your nomination."

Ghalib repeatedly said during the hearing that past remarks attributed to him didn't reflect his actual views. He maintained that his controversial social media activity was taken out of context by the media or mistranslated from Arabic.

Ghalib didn't file to run for another term as mayor this year. The election to decide who will succeed him is on Nov. 4.

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