On Tuesday, Axios reported that President Donald Trump is withdrawing the nomination of former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie Liu to be the Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes.
Liu, whose Senate confirmation hearing was scheduled to take place on Thursday, presided over several "politically charged investigations" according to Axios — including the case against former Trump campaign strategist Roger Stone.
The decision comes just after four federal prosecutors withdrew from the Stone case after the president tweeted that their sentencing recommendation was too harsh — and the DOJ moved to overrule the guidelines and ask a federal judge to give a lenient sentence.
It is unclear whether Liu's withdrawal, which reportedly was "the president's call," has anything to do with the Stone case, but according to Axios, administration insiders are unsure what other motivation there could have been.
The Treasury Department undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes is a critical office that executes economic sanctions on behalf of the United States.