The White House officially pulled three nominations this week, the latest in a trend of the Biden administration withdrawing its controversial picks for top positions.
Two judicial picks, Michael Delaney for the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Jabari Wamble for the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, were pulled from Senate consideration. President Joe Biden also withdrew his choice to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ann Carlson.
Delaney's removal ended one of the longest confirmation fights of Biden’s tenure. Republicans pointed to Delaney's work on a civil case that involved a then-15-year-old sexual assault victim, in which Delaney called for her anonymity to be removed. Even left-wing groups called for his withdrawal.
The Washington Free Beacon also reported on Delaney’s decision to not mention on a Senate questionnaire his role as attorney general in New Hampshire’s largest Ponzi scheme. The New Hampshire attorney general's office said Delaney oversaw a systemic "failure to detect and protect against the fraud inflicted on its citizens."
Wamble asked the White House to pull his nomination after nearly two years of waiting for the Senate to act.
"My path to this nomination began more than 18 months ago and after careful thought and consideration I feel that it is best for me to continue my work at the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Kansas," Wamble wrote to Biden.
Carlson also faced scrutiny from Republicans. The 13 Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee signed a letter in May raising concern about her track record in the agency and their worries that she would overly prioritize electric vehicles.
The reports follow a trend in the Biden White House of having to pull nominees after their controversial agendas are exposed in the Senate. Biden has withdrawn nominations for his FCC, ATF, FAA, and top bank regulator picks.