Bush's nominee for the Supreme Court withdrawn

3.52.41pm GMT Thu 27th Oct 2005

It has been announced that Harriet Miers, Bush's controversial nominee for the Supreme Court, announced today that she had withdrawn her name from consideration. The decision to withdraw followed a concerted attempt by senators to gain access to internal papers about her work at the White House.

It was not just Democrats there were raising questions about the nomination but also about a dozen Republican senators. The confirmation hearings had been due to begin on November 7, but there was a real possibility that she may have been rejected by the US Senate.

Her withdrawal is a huge embarrassment to the Bush administration, which is expecting possible indictments against Karl Rove and senior aides arising from the investigation into the leaking of a covert CIA agent's name.