Monday, January 5, 2009

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has announced he's withdrawing his nomination to be President-elect Barack Obama's commerce secretary.

The move comes amid a grand jury investigation into how some of Richardson's political donors won a lucrative state contract.

Richardson says he's confident the probe will show he and his administration acted properly. But he says the investigation will cause an "untenable delay" in his confirmation.

Obama says he accepts Richardson's withdrawal "with deep regret."