White House withdraws DHS official's nomination, says it doesn't have to do with his call for Trump to condemn violence
Soon after acting Department of Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf issued a statement calling on Trump to condemn Wednesday's violence, the White House said that his nomination to be DHS secretary had been withdrawn from the Senate.
But a White House spokesman said the withdrawal took place Wednesday and had nothing to do with Wolf's statement Thurdsay.
“The withdrawal occurred yesterday and was not related at all to Wednesday’s events or the Acting Secretary’s comments this morning," White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said. "Acting Secretary Wolf remains the acting secretary and continues to perform the duties of his office."
Wolf is currently on a flight back from the Middle East, according to a person familiar with his whereabouts.
Wolf's nomination was only sent to the Senate on Sunday, the same day the new Congress was sworn in. He had previously been nominated in September.
-ABC News' Ben Gittleson and Luke Barr