Andrew Puzder, Trump's labor secretary pick, withdraws from consideration

Puzder, who was due to meet lawmakers on Thursday, faced concerns from Republicans over his personal background and business recordAndrew Puzder, Donald Trump’s controversial choice to run the Department of Labor, has withdrawn his nomination as questions about his byzantine business interests, details about his acrimonious divorce and revelations that he employed an undocumented immigrant as a housekeeper have mounted.

Puzder’s nomination was ultimately felled by Republicans, who grew increasingly concerned about the restaurant executive’s background and business record.

After a series of delays, Puzder, the chief executive of CKE Restaurants, the billion-dollar parent company of the fast food chains Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s, was due to appear before the Senate health, education, labor and pensions committee on Thursday.

However, in a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon Puzder said he was withdrawing his nomination: “While I won’t be serving in this administration, I fully support the president and his highly qualified team.”The move is another stinging setback for the new president, whose political party holds the power in both chambers and could easily have approved the nominee on a party line vote in the Senate.And it comes less than 48 hours after national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign after making misleading statements about conversations with the Russian ambassador, amid an ongoing scandal over Russian influence enveloping the White House.

Puzder was a major Republican donor who was active in both Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign and Trump’s 2016 effort. The businessman and his wife donated $332,000 to Trump’s joint fundraising committee and spoke at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland where he also served as a delegate. Prior to his involvement in the fast food industry, Puzder practised law in Missouri where he was a leading anti-abortion advocate and authored a restrictive law, eventually upheld by the supreme court that prevented the use of state funds or resources for abortions.

Democrats cheered Puzder’s withdrawal as a “victory for the American worker” and a triumph for the progressive resistance to Trump’s presidency.

“Puzder should never have even been nominated to lead the Labor Department and senate Republicans clearly recognized this too,” Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader said in a statement.“The fact that someone so anti-labor was even nominated shows how far President Trump is from where he campaigned. If President Trump is remotely serious about standing up for workers, he will nominate someone for Labor Secretary that champions workers’ rights rather than suppresses them.”

Puzder drew the ire of Democrats and labor groups for his opposition to raising the minimum wage and his business record.

Activists protested his nomination at fast food restaurants around the country. In Washington, Democrats invited former employees to testify against their former boss and held press conferences denouncing his positions on labor issues.

Marc Perrone, international president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, said: “Given recent reports that have come to light, it is clear that Mr Puzder’s values were not the values of hard-working families. His withdrawal proves that the American people still have a voice and the power to shape our government.”Signs that Puzder’s nomination was imperiled began to show in recent weeks as a number of Republican senators withheld immediate their support for him. On Thursday, conservative magazine the National Review published an editorial titled “No to Puzder”.

The magazine railed against Puzder’s support for “comprehensive immigration reform” and argued that in light of the series of unflattering revelations, “his case for his confirmation has diminished to the point of disappearing”.

Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, said he informed party leadership about his “serious concerns” with Puzder after learning that he supported immigration reform and had employed an undocumented housekeeper who he paid in cash.

“I look forward to meeting with a a new nominee to lead the Department of Labor,” Scott said in a statement.

Marco Rubio, a Republican senator for Florida, wrote on Twitter: “Andy Puzder made the right & honorable choice by withdrawing from consideration as Labor Secretary.”

But some Republicans said they were blindsided. John Barrasso, a senator for Wyoming, told reporters only minutes before it happened that all he heard was what he described as “the CNN thing”.

Barrasso said he had not heard from any of his colleagues who wanted Puzder to withdraw and reiterated his support for the fast food CEO.

“I support him,” said Barrasso. “I was on the platform committee with him at the convention. He was one of the members, I was the chair. I support him.”

In a statement, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell expressed his disappointment in Puzder’s decision to withdraw. “I strongly supported Andy Puzder because he is uniquely qualified, knows how to improve the lives of hard-working Americans and knows how to get our economy back on track,” said McConnell. “I’m confident he will continue to find ways to contribute his time and talent to have a positive impact on our nation. I respect his decision to withdraw his nomination for secretary of labor.”