WASHINGTON (AP) – It was pretty much inevitable.
Every recent president has had a doomed Cabinet nomination or two, and President Donald Trump is no exception.
On Wednesday, Trump’s choice for labor secretary, fast food CEO Andrew Puzder, withdrew his name after Republicans expressed concern over his failure to pay taxes promptly on a former housekeeper who wasn’t authorized to work in the U.S. Democrats also had complained about Puzder’s business record and remarks about women and workers at his company, which owns Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.
Puzder was Trump’s first Cabinet-level nominee to withdraw. The president also ousted his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, after just weeks on the job because Flynn wasn’t truthful about his contacts with Russian officials during the transition.
Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and both Bush presidents all had to come up with new names after nominees for their Cabinets ran into trouble.