The White House withdrew the controversial nomination of economist E.J. Antoni to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Antoni was a favorite of MAGA stalwarts like Steve Bannon, but even conservative economists viewed him as unqualified and too partisan. • The Trump administration's pick of Antoni sparked fears about the potential politicization of the statistics agency charged with releasing all-important jobs and inflation data.

What they're saying: A White House official told Axios Antoni "is a brilliant economist and an American patriot that will continue to do good work on behalf of our great country." • The spokesperson added: "President Trump is committed to fixing the longstanding failures at the BLS that have undermined the public's trust in critic

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