Joe Biden to name Antony Blinken as Secretary of State: Reports

US President-elect Joe Biden is all set to announce his cabinet picks shortly, and one of the main positions of Secretary of State might be filled by the veteran diplomat Antony Blinken, sources have revealed.

Blinken has earlier served as one of the top officials at the State Department and as deputy national security adviser in the Obama administration — with Joe Biden as the Vice President.

A close Biden ally has now revealed to local media houses that the 58-year-old is most likely to be Joe Biden's most likely pick to replace Mike Pompeo from Donald Trump's cabinet, after Biden's historic win in the recently-held US elections.

Also read| Joe Biden to name his cabinet ministers on Tuesday

Married to Evan Ryan — who has served as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs — Blinken and his family has been a longtime confidante of Biden.

Often referred to as "diplomat's diplomat," Blinken is known to be deliberative and relatively soft-spoken, with expertise in nuances of foreign policy. The Harvard-educated scholar started his political career in late 1980s when he helped Michael Dukakis' presidential campaign raise money, and later joined President Bill Clinton's White House as a speechwriter and became one of his national security aides.

Blinken was also a strong support for the Biden-Harris campaign, lending them a helping hand his expert thoughts in matters beyond foreign policy too.