By Ahmed Aboulenein, Julie Steenhuysen and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House withdrew President Donald Trump's nomination of former Republican congressman and vaccine critic Dave Weldon to serve as director of the U.

Weldon was told Wednesday night that his nomination was being withdrawn, another Trump administration official said. The White House decided to pull Weldon’s nomination when it became clear that he would not have the votes to be favorably reported out of committee because of his past controversial comments about vaccines, the official said.

Dr. Dave Weldon, Trump's pick for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was withdrawn from consideration shortly before a scheduled Senate confirmation hearing.