Nominee who said Hakeem Jeffries was 'bought' by pro-Israel groups withdrawn by Biden

President Biden withdrew the nomination Tuesday of a Harvard law professor who was put forth as a candidate for the Inter American Commission on Human Rights after the administration became aware that he had made comments that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was "bought" by pro-Israel groups. 

The nominee, James Cavallaro, accused the New York Democratic representative of being "Bought. Purchased. Controlled" by pro-Israel lobbying groups. 

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the Biden administration didn't know about the comments when they were considering Cavallaro. 

“We were not aware of the statements and writings,” Price said in a press briefing with reporters where he announced the withdrawal of Cavallaro's nomination. 

A non-profit news outlet covering Jewish news, The Algemeiner, was the first to cover Cavallaro's remarks.

"His statements clearly do not reflect U.S. policy, they are not a reflection of what we believe and they are inappropriate to say the least," Price said.