Wednesday amid concerns that he could not 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 center 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 Oprah 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ex-wife resurfaced, though those allegations had been withdrawn.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.
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
CHEER
The Labor
Department oversees compliance with federal laws that mandate safe working
conditions, a minimum hourly wage, overtime wages and prohibit employment
discrimination.
As labor
secretary, Puzder would have shaped the department’s approach to these issues,
including whether to defend an Obama administration rule expanding overtime pay
to millions of workers that has been challenged in the courts.
Earlier this
month, Puzder admitted he and his wife had employed an undocumented person as a
housekeeper and had to pay back taxes as a result.
Workers at
some of CKE's restaurants have filed claims in recent weeks alleging they were
victims of wage theft or victims of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Another
possible problem were allegations dating back to 1986 that Puzder had
physically abused his now ex-wife, Lisa Henning, now known as Lisa Fierstein.
Fierstein
filed for divorce in 1987 and later retracted her allegations, but not before
appearing anonymously as a victim of domestic abuse on "The Oprah Winfrey
Show."
Last week, the
OWN Network released a copy of that tape to the Senate committee so both
Democratic and Republican members could view it, according to an aide.
Democrats on
Wednesday 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 U.S.
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
REUTERS
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