The White House confirmed to FOX Business that President Donald Trump has withdrawn his nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

CNN first reported the withdrawal of Antoni’s nomination, citing three sources. One source said Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, declined to meet with Antoni. That signaled possible concerns about his nomination.

The BLS came under scrutiny after a weaker-than-expected July jobs report showed just 73,000 jobs added, far short of the 110,000 estimated by LSEG economists. Employment in May and June was also reduced by a combined 258,000 jobs.

Trump fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, alleging the jobs data was politically manipulated.

Afterward, Trump nominated Antoni , chief economist at the He

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