The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Joel Rayburn for the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, according to the American media outlet Axios.
Rayburn’s nomination had stirred controversy over his alleged role in concealing U.S. troop levels in Syria from then-President Donald Trump during his first term, when Rayburn served as Trump’s special envoy for Syria.
Initially nominated in February, as mentioned in Axios, Rayburn’s confirmation stalled for months in the Senate. When hearings finally took place in May, he faced pointed questions from Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R), who later opposed the nomination in committee. Despite advancing by a 15–7 vote, Paul’s opposition left Rayburn short of the necessary support in the full Senate, prompting the White House to pull his nomination on Monday.
“He did not have the votes,” one person familiar with the matter told Axios. “The administration will proceed in a different direction.”
Paul confirmed to Axios that the committee had advanced Rayburn’s nomination “with no recommendation” but did not comment directly on its withdrawal.
A former U.S. Army officer and historian, Rayburn previously served on Trump’s National Security Council, focusing on Middle East affairs, before being appointed Syria envoy in 2018.
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