WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's choice for chief performance officer, Nancy Killefer, withdrew her nomination on Tuesday, said the White House.

    "She has withdrawn and we accepted her withdrawal," a White House spokesman was quoted as saying by the local media.

Barack Obama announces his appointment of former Treasury official Nancy Killefer (R) as the first White House "chief performance officer" to oversee budget and spending reform, during a news conference at his transition office in Washington January 7, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The spokesman did not elaborate on the reasons for the withdrawal, but other White House officials told reporters in private that it was due to some tax issues.

    Killefer was a senior director for McKinsey & Company and has served as an assistant secretary of treasury in former president Bill Clinton's administration.

    When naming Killefer in January to the newly-created position to oversee the federal budget and government reform, Obama described her as "an expert in streamlining processes and wringing out inefficiencies," and expected her to work with federal agencies to set performance standards to control budget waste and improve efficiency.

    If the information is officially confirmed, Killefer will become the second designee to Obama's administration who withdraws the nomination. Bill Richardson, the former Commerce Secretary pick, gave up his nomination due to involvement in a corruption case under investigation.

    Killefer's withdrawal is expected to become another embarrassment for the Obama government since his health secretary choice, Tom Daschle, is also plagued by tax problems.

    Before being confirmed by the Senate, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was also criticized for failing to pay enough tax.