Reports: White House withdraws E.J. Antoni nomination to lead BLS

The White House withdrew the controversial nomination of economist E.J. Antoni to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday, according to media reports.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.News of the nomination withdrawal was first reported by CNN and AP. Neither the White House nor Antoni immediately responded to Axios' Tuesday evening requests for comment.Catch up quick: President Trump nominated Antoni, an economist at the Heritage Foundation, for the BLS role in mid-August. He was picked 10 days after the president fired Erika McEntarfer, the former BLS commissioner, following a jobs report with massive revisions that showed the labor market was weaker than first thought. The statistics agency is housed within the Department of Labor.The intrigue: Antoni immediately sparked controversy with a suggestion that the jobs report be suspended until issues at the statistics agency could be fixed.Antoni also faced tough odds in the Senate, with votes from Sens. Susan Collins (R-Me.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) — frequent Trump critics — needed for him to clear a key confirmation hurdle.CNN reported earlier this month that Antoni was behind a social media account that posted derogatory remarks about gay people, attacked former Vice President Kamala Harris and featured conspiracy theories.Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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