WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump's choice for ambassador to the United Nations, Heather Nauert, has withdrawn from consideration for the job for family reasons, according to the State Department.
Nauert was State Department spokeswoman when Trump chose her for the UN position; prior to that, she had been a host on the conservative-leaning Fox News Channel. She had been criticised by Democrats for her lack of diplomatic experience.
"The past two months have been grueling for my family and therefore it is in the best interest of my family that I withdraw my name from consideration," Nauert said in a State Department statement on Saturday.
The statement did not specify the hardship on her family but the Washington Post said Nauert's husband and children had remained in New York while she was working in Washington, DC.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg News, quoting anonymous sources, said Nauert's nomination began to falter after a White House background check discovered that Nauert employed a nanny who was legally in the United States but not authorised to work.
Nauert, 49, suggested in the statement that she was leaving government entirely, saying: "Serving in the administration for the past two years has been one of the highest honors of my life." (FA)
Trump nominee for UN ambassador withdraws
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