Trump's pick to run Bureau of Land Management withdraws from consideration
President Trump's choice to run the Bureau of Land Management, Kathleen Sgamma, has withdrawn from consideration, the White House said Thursday.
Sgamma was scheduled to go before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday for her confirmation hearing, but Republican Chairman Mike Lee said at the outset of the hearing that the White House informed him earlier in the morning her name had been withdrawn. The White House confirmed the news.
"We accept her withdrawal and look forward to putting forth another nominee," White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement.
In a statement provided by the White House, Sgamma said it was "an honor to be nominated by President Trump as Director of the Bureau of Land Management, but unfortunately at this time I need to withdraw my nomination."
"I will continue to support President Trump and fight for his agenda to unleash American energy in the private sector," she said.
No reason for Sgamma's withdrawal was offered. But on Tuesday, the investigative watchdog group Documented published a 2021 memo in which Sgamma appeared to criticize Mr. Trump for his handling of and response to the Jan, 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
The memo, dated Jan. 7, 2021, said, "I am disgusted by the violence witnessed yesterday and President Trump's role in spreading misinformation that incited it." It was titled, "Hope for a Resurgence of Sanity."
The Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, is part of the Department of the Interior, and oversees the use of federal lands and for things like energy development. Sgamma is currently the president of the Western Energy Alliance, which advocates for oil and gas companies in the West.