The White House has withdrawn the nomination of E.J. Antoni, a conservative economist, to serve as the leader of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the federal agency whose previous director was fired by President Trump after issuing an unfavorable jobs report.
A White House official confirmed the withdrawal late Tuesday, but offered no reason for the sudden change, saying only that Mr. Trump would announce a new nominee soon.
Mr. Trump tapped Mr. Antoni in August, weeks after ousting Erika McEntarfer, the previous B.L.S. commissioner, over unsubstantiated claims that the bureau had “rigged” data. Mr. Trump had seized on a report that month showing that hiring had been weaker than reported over the summer — a large but otherwise normal revision that the president nonetheless claimed as evidence of bias at the agency.
Tony Romm is a reporter covering economic policy and the Trump administration for The Times, based in Washington.
Ben Casselman is the chief economics correspondent for The Times. He has reported on the economy for nearly 20 years.
Lydia DePillis reports on the American economy for The Times. She has been a journalist since 2009, and can be reached at [email protected].
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