Trump said to withdraw nominee for State Department Middle East role

After committee hearing in May, Joel Rayburn, a former envoy for Syria accused of not sufficiently supporting the president, was seen as unlikely to win confirmation in full Senate

By Agencies and Jacob Magid

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28 October 2025, 9:59 am

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Then-US deputy assistant secretary for Levant affairs and special envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn delivers a statement ahead of a meeting of the Syria constitution-writing committee on October 29, 2019, at the United Nations Offices in Geneva. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has withdrawn the nomination of Joel Rayburn, an envoy for Syria during his first White House term, as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, two sources familiar with the matter said Monday.

The Republican president nominated Rayburn in February for the State Department position overseeing Middle East policy. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held his confirmation hearing in May.

But Republican Senator Rand Paul and committee Democrats had concerns about Trump’s choice, and the panel held an unusual vote last week in favor only of advancing the nomination, not recommending Rayburn to the full Senate.

One of the sources said Rayburn did not have enough votes to proceed and that the administration will move ahead in a different direction.

Senators had questioned whether Rayburn had been involved in misleading US officials about the number of US troops in Syria during Trump’s first term. Rayburn said at the hearing that he had no role in any deception.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the withdrawal, which was first reported by Axios.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, pictured on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 5, 2024. (AP/Jose Luis Magana)

Rayburn served at the State Department and the National Security Council during Trump’s first administration. However, he had been seen by some in the White House as not supportive enough of the Trump administration’s priorities.

Since the position of assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs requires Senate confirmation, the post has remained vacant since the beginning of Trump’s term in January.

The State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs Bureau has been headed in the interim by Mora Namdar, who herself has been awaiting Senate confirmation to become assistant secretary of state for consular affairs.