“A White House official confirmed Saturday the Trump administration intends to withdraw the controversial nomination of William Perry Pendley to lead the Bureau of Land Management, Pro’s Anthony Adragna and Ben Lefebvre report. With the Senate effectively out until September, the exact timing of the withdrawal remains in flux, two sources familiar with the process said.
The withdrawal of Pendley “shows the importance of the confirmation process because it weeds out fringe characters like Mr. Pendley,” said Peter Jenkins, senior counsel at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, in a statement to ME. “The White House clearly recognized the drag the Pendley controversy was having on Republican political candidates in the West. Hopefully they also recognized that a nominee for a position cannot also serve as the de facto acting official in that position at the same time, per the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.” PEER has already sued Interior over its appointments of Pendley to head BLM.”