For 90 days, former Rep. Mark Walker oversaw religious freedom under the State Department in a position President Donald Trump created just for him after the Senate refused to confirm his nomination to a similar position.

And then, last week, the State Department announced Walker was gone.

State Department officials did not directly answer McClatchy’s question about why Walker was no longer serving in the position of principal adviser for global religious freedom.

Walker did not answer a voicemail seeking comment.

But a State Department spokesperson told McClatchy in a written statement: “There is no greater friend to religious freedom than the United States, and we will continue to lead with strength to protect religious liberty around the world. This administration is committed to advancing religious freedom worldwide, including addressing persecution of Christians. Current priorities include holding governments and perpetrators accountable for religious freedom violations.”

They added that Walker, who assumed his role on Jan. 22, left on April 21.

“We thank Mr. Walker for his distinguished service throughout his professional career,” the spokesperson said.

On April 20, Riley Barnes, the assistant secretary over the department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, was “designated authorities” of the position known as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, the agency’s spokesperson said.

The ambassador-at-large position was what Trump originally, in March 2025, nominated Walker for, but he needed Senate confirmation.

The Greensboro Republican’s nomination needed to go before the Committee on Foreign Relations. The committee’s chairman, Jim Risch, told Breitbart News that Walker did not have enough support from members of the committee to move forward.

And both Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, Republicans from North Carolina who previously served with Walker, came out against his nomination. Budd told McClatchy that Walker had “repeated problems with honesty” and Tillis told McClatchy he supported Budd, and that Walker should “move on.”

On Jan. 8, Walker announced on social media that Trump had found a way around the Senate, naming him to this new position. Because the job had never existed prior, it was never made clear his exact job criteria or his salary, but Walker posted that he was “thrilled and deeply honored” by the appointment.

A public records request, on Jan. 9, to the State Department from McClatchy requesting further details about the job description and salary went unanswered.

It was not clear, either, whether Trump planned to nominate someone new to serve as ambassador-in-charge for International Religious Freedom.

Now it’s not clear whether Barnes is in the position temporarily or whether Trump plans to put him before the Senate for consideration.

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