Obama nominee for Iraq envoy steps down amid allegations of misbehavior

Brett McGurk, President Obama’s choice for ambassador to Iraq, withdrew his nomination on Monday amid allegations of improper behavior, according to several news reports.

McGurk wrote in a letter to the president and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that he was stepping aside because, with summer recess approaching, a confirmation fight over his nomination could leave the United States Embassy in Baghdad without a permanent leader for several months.

McGurk’s withdrawal comes after a series of leaked, personal e-mails with a Wall Street Journal reporter fueled Republican resistance to his nomination.

“Iraq urgently needs an ambassador,” McGurk wrote, according to The New York Times. “The country is in the midst of a political crisis and our mission is undergoing rapid transformation.”