UPDATE 1-Trump's pick for No. 3 U.S. Justice Department post withdraws from consideration

Jessie Liu, the top federal prosecutor in Washington D.C., has withdrawn from consideration to serve as the third-ranking official in the U.S. Justice Department, a spokeswoman said on Thursday. Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Liu ran into opposition from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee because of her involvement more than a decade ago with a legal group that opposed the nomination of conservative Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"While we believe criticisms of Jesse are unfair, she did not want her nomination to become a distraction for the Attorney General at this critical time for the Department," Kupec said. President Donald Trump had said earlier this month he intended to nominate Liu to be associate attorney general - a job that involves overseeing the department's civil litigation, including antitrust matters, civil rights, and environmental law.

Liu will continue to serve as the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Kupec said. (Reporting by Andy Sullivan; editing by Grant McCool)