US President Donald Trump's pick to be the next US ambassador to Australia, Arthur Culvahouse, believes he may have to recuse himself at times if confirmed for the Canberra role because a "heightened prospect of a conflict of interest could exist".
Culvahouse is a prominent lawyer and Washington DC insider who helped Trump select Mike Pence for vice president, worked for past presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford and has corporate clients including Exxon Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Goldman, Sachs & Co and AT&T.
The Tennessee-born 70-year-old's financial disclosure form filed ahead of his US Senate confirmation hearing also lists legal work he did for Trump-appointed Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and US Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Jay Clayton.
"I understand that a heightened prospect of a conflict of interest could exist as to companies that maintain a presence in Australia, because they may be more likely than other companies to seek official assistance from or make contact with the Embassy or otherwise be affected by policies and engagement implemented by the Embassy," Culvahouse wrote in an "ethics undertakings" letter to the State Department.
"I will remain alert to the possible need to recuse where appropriate."
Culvahouse did not disclose "confidential individual clients", citing attorney-client privilege
"In addition, one of the foregoing confidential clients is not disclosed because they are the subject of a pending non-public investigation," Culavhouse wrote.
He added "out of an abundance of caution" he will divest all assets in his defined contribution plan that do not qualify for an exemption, within 90 days of his confirmation.
Culvahouse, the chair emeritus and "of counsel" for international law firm O'Melveny & Myers, also noted he would resign from the of counsel position if confirmed and forfeit the firm's 2018 work bonus "unless I receive the bonus before I assume the duties of the position of Ambassador to Australia".
He also said he would resign from positions he held with The Brookings Institution, Howard H Baker Jr Center for Public Policy, The University of Tennessee Knoxville and the US Chamber of Commerce's Center for Capital Market Competitiveness leadership board.
The US has been without an ambassador to Australia since former president Barack Obama's appointment, John Berry, left in September 2016.
Trump tapped former US Pacific Command commander Harry Harris as his pick earlier this year, but before his confirmation Harris was diverted to take up the role in political hot spot South Korea.
