GOP’s Gregg withdraws from Commerce bid

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) via Wikimedia

Sen. Judd Gregg, the Republican Barack Obama picked to be his Commerce Secretary, has withdrawn his nomination. Once thought to hold the Democrats’ 60-vote majority in the balance, Gregg accepted the nomination on his own terms: that his home-state governor appoint a fellow Republican to replace him. But the Los Angeles Times reports that his withdrawal was over “irresolvable differences” on the economic stimulus package. It could, however, be a protest of Obama’s plans to yank Census duties from Gregg’s would’ve-been post. Yesterday, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) criticized the move, referring to a letter sent to the president that urged “him to reconsider a plan to hand over control of the 2010 Census to political operatives in the White House. This unprecedented move would undermine the goal of a fair and accurate Census count. And it would open the door to massive waste and abuse of taxpayer funds.”

Eric Black notes that, according to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, it was Gregg who “reached out to” Obama, not the other way around. Gibbs’ statement:

“Senator Gregg reached out to the President and offered his name for Secretary of Commerce.  He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace, and move forward with the President’s agenda.  Once it became clear after his nomination that Senator Gregg was not going to be supporting some of President Obama’s key economic priorities, it became necessary for Senator Gregg and the Obama administration to part ways.  We regret that he has had a change of heart.”