Trump administration withdraws new UN ambassador's nomination

LOS ANGELES -- US President Donald Trump said Thursday he has withdrawn nomination of Republican Elise Stefanik to be the US ambassador to the United Nations, saying Stefanik will stay in the US Congress.

"I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," Trump said in a post on social media platform Truth Social.

"With a very tight Majority, I don't want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise's seat," Trump said.

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch said he received notice from the White House on Thursday afternoon that it was pulling Stefanik's nomination, according to media reports.

Last November, then President-elect Trump announced he had chosen Stefanik, a New York congresswoman and chair of the House Republican Conference, to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations.