The White House withdrew the controversial nomination of economist E.J. Antoni to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Antoni was a favorite of MAGA stalwarts like Steve Bannon, but even conservative economists viewed him as unqualified and too partisan.
- The Trump administration's pick of Antoni sparked fears about the potential politicization of the statistics agency charged with releasing all-important jobs and inflation data.
What they're saying: A White House official told Axios Antoni "is a brilliant economist and an American patriot that will continue to do good work on behalf of our great country."
- The spokesperson added: "President Trump is committed to fixing the longstanding failures at the BLS that have undermined the public's trust in critical economic data. The President plans to announce a new nominee very soon."
- News of the nomination withdrawal was first reported by CNN and AP.
Catch up quick: Trump nominated Antoni, an economist at the Heritage Foundation, for the BLS role in mid-August.
- He was picked 10 days after the president fired Erika McEntarfer, the former BLS commissioner, following a jobs report with massive revisions that showed the labor market was weaker than first thought.
- The statistics agency is housed within the Department of Labor.
The intrigue: Antoni immediately sparked controversy with a suggestion that the jobs report be suspended until issues at the statistics agency could be fixed.
- Antoni also faced tough odds in the Senate, with votes from Sens. Susan Collins (R-Me.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) — frequent Trump critics — needed for him to clear a key confirmation hurdle.
- CNN reported earlier this month that Antoni was behind a social media account that posted derogatory remarks about gay people, attacked former Vice President Kamala Harris and featured conspiracy theories.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
