In a blow to President Donald Trump as he tries to assemble his administration, his nominee for labor secretary, Andrew Puzder, has withdrawn his name from consideration amid concerns that he can't garner enough Senate votes to be confirmed.
Puzder's decision to withdraw is yet another setback this week for a White House still grappling with fallout from Monday night's abrupt resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn, after less than a month in the job.
Puzder, the chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants Inc, which franchises fast-food chains including Hardee's and Carl's Jr, has been at the centre of a swirl of controversies, complaints and potential conflicts.
He admitted earlier this month that he and his wife had employed an undocumented person as a housekeeper.
He faced a flurry of complaints and legal cases brought in recent weeks and months by workers against his business and its franchises. Most recently, a decades-old Ophrah Winfrey tape raising allegations of domestic abuse by his ex-wife resurfaced, though those allegations had been withdrawn.
"After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor," Puzder said in a statement on Wednesday.
Puzder's withdrawal came one day before his scheduled confirmation hearing.
At least seven Republican senators, including Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, declined to publicly back Puzder in advance of the confirmation hearing.
For weeks now, Republican senators have been telling Senator John Cornyn, the second-highest ranking Republican, that they believed some of their colleagues would join Collins and Murkowski in opposing Puzder, according to a senior Senate Republican aide.
Democrats cheered over the news of Puzder's withdrawal.
"From the start, it's been clear that Puzder is uniquely unqualified to serve as secretary of labor," said Patty Murray, the ranking member of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
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