Andrew Puzder, President Donald Trump’s pick to be the secretary of labor, has dropped out of his confirmation hearings amid scandals about his past.
"While I won"t be serving in the administration, I fully support the president and his highly qualified team," Puzder said in a statement.
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.
— Andy Puzder (@AndyPuzder) February 15, 2017
Puzder had lost support among Senate Republicans, with four GOP senators saying they would not vote for him, and up to eight more saying they were thinking of not voting for him, CNN reported. As shown during the confirmation vote for Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Trump’s Cabinet picks cannot afford to lose more than two GOP votes.
Last Tuesday, Puzder admitted that he had previously employed an undocumented immigrant for years. He only recently paid back taxes on the employee, as well as filed all required paperwork for her.
Puzder had a high-profile divorce 30 years ago that included claims by ex-wife Lisa Fierstein that he abused her. On Monday, the Oprah Winfrey Network distributed a copy of Fierstein’s 1990 appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” detailing her abuse to the Senate.
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