Story highlights The training delay reflect the slow pace with which Trump is filling the positions

Donors are expectant and impatient

Washington (CNN) The State Department has delayed its planned training sessions for new ambassadors as an appointment bottleneck frustrates donors and allies of President Donald Trump who expect plum postings overseas.

The sessions, meant to train new prospective diplomats who are successfully vetted by the White House, were originally slated to begin this month, but have since been rescheduled to May, according to a person briefed on the process. Friends of Trump have been lobbying him at places like Mar-a-Lago in Florida and at private fundraisers for positions in Western Europe or the Caribbean.

But the training delay reflects the slow pace with which Trump is filling the ambassadorial positions, which typically are rewards to key supporters. With so few new ambassadors -- only one has been confirmed, Israel's David Friedman, and only four others have been nominated -- there is little sense in an April training.

The State Department referred CNN to the White House, which did not respond to requests for comment.

The Trump administration still has yet to name several deputy secretaries for Cabinet agencies -- higher priority appointments -- and the vetting process for new envoys can take up to three months. The incoming Obama administration left several high-profile postings vacant for many months at its outset. So most of these postings may be vacant for the forseeable future.

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