Obama Nominee For Ambassador To Argentina Has Never Actually Been There

Political consultant Noah Bryson Mamet, whom President Barack Obama has nominated to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Argentina, admitted that he has never actually been to that country during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing Thursday.

In response to a question from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mamet framed visiting the country as an "opportunity" he has not yet taken advantage of.

"I haven't had the opportunity yet to be there. I've traveled pretty extensively around the world, but I haven't yet had the chance [to visit Argentina]," said Mamet, who was nominated to the post in July 2013.

"I think this is a very significant post," Rubio said in response.

Mamet bundled at least $500,000 for Obama's reelection campaign, according to the Center for Public Integrity. He served on the Obama-Biden National Finance Committee for the 2012 campaign.

Earlier this month, the president's nominee to serve as ambassador to Norway also had a bit of an awkward time before the committee. George Tsunis, another top Obama bundler in 2012, referred during his confirmation hearing to Norway's "president," when, in fact, the country has a king and a prime minister.

BuzzFeed reported last December that some other Democratic donors and fundraisers were resentful of his nomination, seeing it as a reflection of his ability to leverage a close relationship with Obama's campaign manager, Jim Messina.