Puzder's withdrawal as Labor nominee is latest Trump travail
WASHINGTON — The downfall of President Trump’s nominee for Labor secretary on Wednesday was the latest setback for an administration that already had been reeling from a particularly bad week.
Andrew Puzder, the fast-food magnate whom Trump had chosen to lead the Department of Labor, withdrew his name from consideration just hours after top Senate Republicans informed the White House that he did not have the votes to win confirmation.
Puzder’s withdrawal came just two days after Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned amid reports that he had misled Vice President Pence about his contacts with a Russian ambassador.
Flynn’s resignation and news reports indicating additional contacts between Trump's camp and Russian intelligence agents brought new calls from Democrats in Congress for an independent investigation into the president’s ties to Moscow.
Read more:
Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide
The Trump-Russia connection: What we know now
The first 100 days of the Trump presidency
What’s more, Rep. Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, also appeared to be in jeopardy after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., announced Wednesday he would oppose the nomination.
Several of Trump’s Cabinet nominees have faced intense fire from Democrats and left-leaning interest groups. Puzder, however, was the first to fall.
“After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor,” Puzder said in a statement. “I am honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America’s workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity.”
Puzder continued: “I want to thank President Trump for his nomination. I also thank my family and my many supporters — employees, businesses, friends and people who have voiced their praise and hopeful optimism for the policies and new thinking I would have brought to America as Secretary of Labor. While I won't be serving in the administration, I fully support the president and his highly qualified team."
Puzder is the chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants, the parent company of the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. fast-food chains.
His nomination galvanized his opponents, who said his opposition to raising the minimum wage and expanding overtime eligibility for workers and accusations that his company had failed to fully investigate allegations of sexual harassment at his restaurants made him unfit for the job.
Puzder also was hobbled by his admission last week that he once employed an undocumented housekeeper and allegations of domestic violence leveled by his former wife — allegations she has since recanted.
The White House and Senate GOP leaders had stood behind Puzder, even as the attacks against him escalated. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters on Tuesday that Puzder was “uniquely qualified” for the job.
But support among rank-and-file Republicans dissipated as the date for his confirmation hearing, which had been scheduled for Thursday, grew closer.
Four GOP senators on the committee that was to hold the hearing — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Tim Scott of South Carolina — had declined to say whether they would support his nomination.
By Wednesday afternoon, news reports indicated that as many as a dozen Republican senators were planning to withhold their support, effectively dooming his nomination. Democratic senators had been united in their opposition to the nominee.
Read more:
Democrats, labor leaders call for Labor nominee Andrew Puzder to withdraw
Trump, GOP leaders rally to support Labor nominee Andrew Puzder
Andrew Puzder is just the latest Cabinet nominee with a 'nanny' problem
Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project, said it was clear from the beginning that Puzder was unfit to serve as labor secretary.
“In nominating Mr. Puzder for labor secretary, President Trump chose for the department that champions workers someone whose views and values are not only antithetical to what workers want and need, but also out of step with mainstream America,” she said.
She called on Trump to “remain mindful of the promises he made to working families during the campaign and in his inaugural address and nominate a candidate for secretary of labor who will always put workers first and foremost.”
The National Restaurant Association, however, lamented Puzder’s downfall.
“Andy Puzder would have made a great labor secretary,” said Cicely Simpson, the group’s executive vice president. “We hope that President Trump’s next labor secretary nominee, like Andy, has experience creating jobs and a deep understanding how to get business and government to work together to grow the economy.