Trump Nominee for Ambassador to Singapore Withdraws 
With her confirmation stalled in Senate, President Trump says K.T. McFarland served his administration 'with distinction'
U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to be ambassador to Singapore has withdrawn her nomination, after confirmation proceedings for her stalled in the Senate. Trump said he was “disappointed” that K.T. McFarland would not be his ambassador to Singapore and blamed Democrats for impeding her nomination. “Unfortunately, some Democrats chose to play politics rather than move forward with a qualified nominee for a critically important post,” he said in a statement. McFarland’s nomination faced opposition from Democrats and some Republicans over accusations she deceived the Senate in relation to the Russia investigation. McFarland had served as deputy to Trump’s former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and testified to the Senate that she was not aware of conversations that Flynn had with Russian officials. However, court documents later revealed that Flynn had emailed McFarland about his contacts with the Russian envoy during the 2016 presidential transition. Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about his contacts with Russia. Reuters news agency, which said it obtained a copy of McFarland’s withdrawal letter to Trump, quoted McFarland as saying, “I have come to this decision reluctantly, because I believe in your mission.” "Know that I have no intention of withdrawing from the national debate and I want to help you in whatever way I can," she said. McFarland served on Trump’s presidential transition team and as a deputy to Flynn. She has also worked as a Fox News national security analyst. “I wish K.T. the best as she uses her considerable wisdom and skill as a commentator to explain to the American people how to make American foreign policy great again,” Trump said.