White House Withdraws Joel Rayburn’s Nomination for Top Middle East State Department Role
President Trump pulls his pick for Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs amid insufficient Senate support and Syria-related scrutiny
The White House has officially withdrawn the nomination of Joel Rayburn, selected by President Donald Trump in February 2025 to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
Rayburn’s nomination advanced out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this month with a 15-7 vote but without a recommendation for full Senate confirmation.
Rayburn, a retired U.S. Army officer who served as U.S. Special Envoy for Syria during the first Trump administration, faced opposition on two fronts.
Republican Senator Rand Paul challenged his role in Syria during the Trump era, particularly Rayburn’s connection to his former superior James Jeffrey.
Jeffrey admitted in 2020 to misleading senior officials about U.S. troop numbers in Syria — an issue that carried over to Rayburn’s hearing in May, where he denied participating in any misrepresentation.
Sources familiar with the matter say that Rayburn did not secure the necessary votes to proceed to a floor vote, prompting the administration to withdraw the nomination and open the search for an alternative candidate.
The withdrawal highlights the friction at the Senate level as even one dissenting Republican senator can undermine a grouped nominee process introduced to expedite confirmations.
The decision comes amid broader leadership efforts by the Trump administration to fill key foreign-policy positions, particularly in the Middle East, and underscores the complexities of Senate confirmation even for candidates backed by the White House.
Rayburn’s career had received both bipartisan backing and significant scrutiny; the withdrawal leaves the Assistant Secretary slot for Near Eastern Affairs unfilled for now.
Rayburn’s nomination advanced out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this month with a 15-7 vote but without a recommendation for full Senate confirmation.
Rayburn, a retired U.S. Army officer who served as U.S. Special Envoy for Syria during the first Trump administration, faced opposition on two fronts.
Republican Senator Rand Paul challenged his role in Syria during the Trump era, particularly Rayburn’s connection to his former superior James Jeffrey.
Jeffrey admitted in 2020 to misleading senior officials about U.S. troop numbers in Syria — an issue that carried over to Rayburn’s hearing in May, where he denied participating in any misrepresentation.
Sources familiar with the matter say that Rayburn did not secure the necessary votes to proceed to a floor vote, prompting the administration to withdraw the nomination and open the search for an alternative candidate.
The withdrawal highlights the friction at the Senate level as even one dissenting Republican senator can undermine a grouped nominee process introduced to expedite confirmations.
The decision comes amid broader leadership efforts by the Trump administration to fill key foreign-policy positions, particularly in the Middle East, and underscores the complexities of Senate confirmation even for candidates backed by the White House.
Rayburn’s career had received both bipartisan backing and significant scrutiny; the withdrawal leaves the Assistant Secretary slot for Near Eastern Affairs unfilled for now.
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