More trouble for Obama pick to be Iraq envoy

WASHINGTON -- Senate Republicans are pressing the White House to dump its nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Iraq, citing concerns about his abilities and judgment amid allegations that he acted inappropriately while working at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad during President George W. Bush's second term.

Six GOP members of the Foreign Relations Committee sent a letter to President Barack Obama yesterday calling on him to withdraw Brett McGurk's nomination. In the letter, they say McGurk "lacks the leadership and management experience" needed for the job.

The White House rejected the call, but it was not clear whether the administration could win a protracted battle over the nomination.

The senators said emails detailing what they called McGurk's "unprofessional conduct" amplified their "strong concerns."

"Recent information has surfaced to call into question the prudence of moving forward with the nominee at this time," they said.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama was standing by McGurk.

"We believe that our nation will be greatly served by his experiences in Iraq and we look forward to the Senate's advice and consent on his appointment," he told reporters.

But Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the committee chairman, hinted that the nomination could be reconsidered. He had spoken with Vice President Joe Biden about McGurk.

"It's under advisement," he said. "We're looking at it. We're evaluating where it is, which is the appropriate thing to do. I think there are some very fair questions being asked and they need to be answered," Kerry said.

The emails in question indicate that McGurk had an intimate relationship with a female American journalist in Baghdad though he was married and working at the embassy there in 2008.

McGurk has since married the reporter, Gina Chon, who resigned from The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday after acknowledging that she violated in-house rules by showing McGurk unpublished stories.