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Politics

White House Formally Withdraws Ambassador Nomination Of 'Papa Doug' Manchester

Doug Manchester pictured in this undated photograph.
Manchester Financial Group
Doug Manchester pictured in this undated photograph.

The White House formally withdrew its nomination Wednesday of San Diego businessman Doug Manchester to be the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas.

Manchester, nicknamed "Papa Doug," withdrew himself for consideration for the ambassadorship last month "due to the threats on his and his family's lives including three infant children under 4 years old," according to a statement Manchester Financial Group gave to the Nassau Guardian.

President Donald Trump first nominated Manchester in 2017 and renominated him in 2018 and 2019 after his nomination languished in the U.S. Senate. In September, Manchester launched a private disaster relief effort in the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian's damage to the archipelago.

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Manchester built multiple hotels in San Diego, including the San Diego Marriott Marquis and Marina and the Manchester Grand Hyatt, and served as the publisher of the San Diego Union-Tribune from 2011 to 2015 before selling the newspaper to the Tribune Publishing Co.

Manchester and his wife both donated nearly $500,000 to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.