UPDATE 1-Trump's nominee for U.N. ambassador withdraws -State Department

U.S. President Donald Trump's choice to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Heather Nauert, has withdrawn from consideration for the job for family reasons, according to a statement issued by the State Department on Saturday.

"The past two months have been grueling for my family and therefore it is in the best interest of my family that I withdraw my name from consideration," Nauert, who was State Department spokeswoman before being chosen for the U.N. job, said in the statement. Trump had announced he would nominate Nauert for the U.N. position on Dec. 7. Nauert, a former host on the conservative Fox News Channel before joining the State Department, would have replaced Nikki Haley, who resigned at the end of 2018.

After Trump announced his intention to nominate her, Democrats criticized Nauert as lacking diplomatic experience. (Reporting by Christopher Bing Editing by Bill Trott)