The new USA Ambassador to the Italian Republic and the Republic of San Marino, John R. Phillips, charms Italians with a video addressed directly to them talking about his Italian origin and explaining how much he loves the Bel Paese, and.... he speaks Italian. The video was posted on the youtube channel of the US Embassy in Italy. Both Phillips and his wife Linda Douglass, the former director of communications for the White House Office of Health Reform, begin by speaking Italian: 'Salve, sono John Phillips e sono qui alla Casa Bianca a Washington con mia moglie Linda Douglass. Sono orgoglioso ed onorato di essere l'ambasciatore degli Stati Uniti d'America in Italia.' (Hi, I'm John Phillips and I'm here at the White House in Washington with my wife Linda Douglass. I am proud and honored to be the ambassador of the United States of America in Italy.) And his wife says: 'Siamo entrambi molto felici per l'opportunità di vivere bel vostro meraviglioso paese.' (We are both very happy for the opportunity to live in your wonderful country.) He was nominated for the post by US President Barack Obama last summer and during his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he had proudly referred to his Italian family: "While it may not be apparent from my last name, Phillips, I am one of those 20 million Americans of Italian descent. My grandparents, Angelo Filippi and Lucy Colussy, left their villages in the Friuli region of northern Italy to come to America to seek a better life. They settled down in a small town near Pittsburgh, where others from small towns in Italy had come before. When my father’s older brother went to school for the first time, the teacher showed him how to write Filippi in American: Phillips. My brothers, cousins and I have always regretted losing that distinctive Italian identity.My interest in Italy and in U.S.-Italian relations has grown over the years-- from an initial desire to connect with my roots, to personal engagement committed to bringing our two nations closer together." Phillips was founder and partner in the Law Firm of Phillips & Cohen, LLP, based in Washington, DC from 1988 to 2013. He currently serves as Member and Chair of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. He is the founder of Taxpayers Against Fraud and currently serves on its board of directors. Benvenuto Ambassador Phillips!
