Trump pick for labour secretary withdraws

USPRESIDENTDonaldTrump’s pick for labour secretary Andrew Puzder withdrew from consideration on Wednesday, after facing intense scrutiny for his business record and controversies about his personal past.

The 66-year-old fast-food executive is the first of Trump’s cabinet nominees to withdraw, dealing a new blow to the president on the heels of the resignation of his embattled national security chief.

“I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor. I’m honored to have been considered and am grateful to all who have supported me,” Puzder tweeted.

The White House confirmed Puzder’s departure, with press secretary Sean Spicer simply saying: “He withdrew.”

Concern swelled this year about Puzder’s labour practices and positions, with critics blasting him for opposing a minimum wage for US workers.

He also admitted he had failed to pay taxes on an undocumented employee – al- though he paid back taxes long afterward. And he faced embarrassing questions related to a messy divorce that he went through several years ago.

To be confirmed in his post Puzder needed the support of at least 51 out of 100 Senators. But he was staunchly opposed by Democrats and had lost the support of several of the chamber’s 52 Republican Senators.

“Andy Puzder made the right and honorable choice by withdrawing from consideration as labor secretary,” Republican Senator Marco Rubio tweeted.

The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, described the withdrawal as “a victory for the American worker”.

Puzder’s confirmation hearing, after a number of postponements, had been set for yesterday, when Democratic and Republican senators alike would have had a chance to grill him over his record as head of the parent company of the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr restaurant chains.