The White House withdrew the nomination of Joel Rayburn, nominated for the position of Deputy Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, fearing that he “would not receive sufficient support in the Senate.”
According to information received by Anadolu from a source directly familiar with the situation, the White House decided to withdraw Rayburn’s nomination.
Anonymous a source said Rayburn’s nomination was withdrawn following a vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week. According to the source, the White House concluded that Rayburn “would not be able to secure sufficient votes in the Senate plenary.”
Although the committee approved Rayburn’s nomination by a vote of 15-7, its members decided “not to recommend bringing it to the Senate for consideration.”
During his previous appointment as US special representative for Syria under Donald Trump’s administration Rayburn has faced resistance in the Senate over accusations that he is trying to hide the true number of US troops in Syria.
Rayburn’s nomination, nominated by Trump in February to head the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, remained pending for months and was approved by the committee only last week.