Scoop: White House pulls Joel Rayburn's nomination for top State job

Driving the news: Rayburn was first nominated by Trump in February but his nomination languished in the Senate, and when he finally received a confirmation hearing in May he faced tough questions from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

• "He did not have the votes," said a person familiar with the matter. "The administration will proceed in a different direction."
• Paul opposed his nomination in committee, but it still advanced 15-7. But Paul's opposition made his path to confirmation difficult in the full Senate, and the White House pulled his nomination on Monday.
• "We voted him last week out with no recommendation," Paul told Axios, without confirming that his nomination has been withdrawn.

The big picture: Rayburn, a former U.S. army officer and historian, also worked on Middle East issues on Trump's National Security Council before being appointed Syria envoy in 2018.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Rayburn did not have the votes for confirmation in the Senate.