Fast-food executive Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination to head the Labor Department on Wednesday as his support on Capitol Hill faltered. Facing criticism from both sides of the aisle, Puzder became the first Trump Cabinet pick whose nomination failed.



"After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor. I am honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America's workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity. I want to thank President Trump for his nomination. I also thank my family and my many supporters—employees, businesses, friends and people who have voiced their praise and hopeful optimism for the policies and new thinking I would have brought to America as Secretary of Labor. While I won't be serving in the administration, I fully support the President and his highly qualified team."



Ahead of his scheduled confirmation hearing on Thursday, which had been delayed several times, it became less clear Puzder had support from his own party, facing pressure to withdraw. Several Republican senators, including Maine's Susan Collins, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, Georgia's Johnny Isakson and South Carolina's Tim Scott, signaled trouble by saying they were undecided on Puzder.

In a statement responding to Puzder's withdrawal, Scott said, "As revelations regarding paying employees in cash, illegal immigration, and comments regarding some of the American workforce came to light, I developed serious concerns regarding his nomination." Scott said he informed Senate GOP leadership about his reluctance to support Puzder.

Puzder has faced a range of criticisms, from his record running the Hardee's and Carl's Jr.'s fast-food chains to old allegations — since retracted — of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife. More recently, Puzder disclosed he employed a housekeeper who was not in the country legally. Labor unions, which had planned to protest his nomination outside the Senate offices where the hearing was to be held, have argued a Puzder-led Labor Department would undermine their efforts to raise the federal minimum wage, expand the eligibility for overtime pay and enforce wage and hour violations, among other things.

Puzder, a corporate attorney by training, was first a lawyer for CKE Restaurants, which operates Hardee's, Carl's Jr., Green Burrito and Red Burrito restaurants. He helped founder Carl Karcher settle an insider trading case with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Then, after the chain fell into financial trouble following its acquisition of Hardee's in the late 1990s, Puzder helped turn the company around and in 2000 was named CEO.

As CEO, and later as a Trump campaign adviser, Puzder has been outspoken about his views on labor policy, contributing to newspaper opinion pages and on television, discussing issues such as immigration. During the Republican presidential primaries, Puzder advocated creating a path to legal status for unauthorized workers living in the U.S. He endorsed a more moderate "comprehensive immigration reform," similar to what candidates Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio were proposing at the time.

That endorsement won him critics from the right, who want the Trump administration to make good on promises to get tougher on illegal immigration and crack down to deport those in the country illegally.

In an opinion piece titled "No to Puzder" in the National Review published Feb. 15, the conservative magazine wrote: "The case for his confirmation has diminished to the point of disappearing."

The most vocal critics, however, have pointed to his industry's record at the very department he would lead.

For the fast-food industry overall, during the 2016 federal fiscal year, the agency found violations in 86 percent of the 1,300 cases it investigated for wage theft, or for unpaid overtime. CKE Restaurants had one of the lowest incidents of reported cases, faring relatively well in an industry that came in for a lot of criticism under the Obama administration.

Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, said Puzder would not have enforced labor laws against his own industry. "How can he possibly go out and defend workers," he said, arguing the agency should be headed by someone with a history of trying to protect the interests of workers.</s>Fast-food executive Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination to head the Labor Department on Wednesday as his support on Capitol Hill faltered. Facing criticism from both sides of the aisle, Puzder became the first Trump Cabinet pick whose nomination failed.



"After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor. I am honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America's workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity. I want to thank President Trump for his nomination. I also thank my family and my many supporters—employees, businesses, friends and people who have voiced their praise and hopeful optimism for the policies and new thinking I would have brought to America as Secretary of Labor. While I won't be serving in the administration, I fully support the President and his highly qualified team."



Ahead of his scheduled confirmation hearing on Thursday, which had been delayed several times, it became less clear Puzder had support from his own party, facing pressure to withdraw. Several Republican senators, including Maine's Susan Collins, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, Georgia's Johnny Isakson and South Carolina's Tim Scott, signaled trouble by saying they were undecided on Puzder.

In a statement responding to Puzder's withdrawal, Scott said, "As revelations regarding paying employees in cash, illegal immigration, and comments regarding some of the American workforce came to light, I developed serious concerns regarding his nomination." Scott said he informed Senate GOP leadership about his reluctance to support Puzder.

Puzder has faced a range of criticisms, from his record running the Hardee's and Carl's Jr.'s fast-food chains to old allegations — since retracted — of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife. More recently, Puzder disclosed he employed a housekeeper who was not in the country legally. Labor unions, which had planned to protest his nomination outside the Senate offices where the hearing was to be held, have argued a Puzder-led Labor Department would undermine their efforts to raise the federal minimum wage, expand the eligibility for overtime pay and enforce wage and hour violations, among other things.

Puzder, a corporate attorney by training, was first a lawyer for CKE Restaurants, which operates Hardee's, Carl's Jr., Green Burrito and Red Burrito restaurants. He helped founder Carl Karcher settle an insider trading case with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Then, after the chain fell into financial trouble following its acquisition of Hardee's in the late 1990s, Puzder helped turn the company around and in 2000 was named CEO.

As CEO, and later as a Trump campaign adviser, Puzder has been outspoken about his views on labor policy, contributing to newspaper opinion pages and on television, discussing issues such as immigration. During the Republican presidential primaries, Puzder advocated creating a path to legal status for undocumented workers living in the U.S. He endorsed a more moderate "comprehensive immigration reform," similar to what candidates Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio were proposing at the time.

That endorsement won him critics from the right, who want the Trump administration to make good on promises to get tougher on illegal immigration and crack down to deport those in the country illegally.

In an opinion piece titled "No to Puzder" in the National Review published Feb. 15, the conservative magazine wrote: "The case for his confirmation has diminished to the point of disappearing."

The most vocal critics, however, have pointed to his industry's record at the very department he would lead.

For the fast-food industry overall, during the 2016 federal fiscal year, the agency found violations in 86 percent of the 1,300 cases it investigated for wage theft, or for unpaid overtime. CKE Restaurants had one of the lowest incidents of reported cases, faring relatively well in an industry that came in for a lot of criticism under the Obama administration.

Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, said Puzder would not have enforced labor laws against his own industry. "How can he possibly go out and defend workers," he said, arguing the agency should be headed by someone with a history of trying to protect the interests of workers.</s>Fast food executive Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination to head the Labor Department on Wednesday as his support on Capitol Hill faltered. Facing criticism from both sides of the aisle, Puzder became the first Trump Cabinet pick whose nomination failed.



"After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor. I am honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America's workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity. I want to thank President Trump for his nomination. I also thank my family and my many supporters—employees, businesses, friends and people who have voiced their praise and hopeful optimism for the policies and new thinking I would have brought to America as Secretary of Labor. While I won't be serving in the administration, I fully support the President and his highly qualified team."



Ahead of his scheduled confirmation hearing on Thursday, which had been delayed several times, it became less clear Puzder had support from his own party, facing pressure to withdraw. Several Republican Senators, including Maine's Susan Collins, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, Georgia's Johnny Isakson, and South Carolina's Tim Scott signaled trouble by saying they were undecided on Puzder.

In a statement responding to Puzder's withdrawal, Scott said, "As revelations regarding paying employees in cash, illegal immigration, and comments regarding some of the American workforce came to light, I developed serious concerns regarding his nomination." Scott said he informed Senate GOP leadership about his reluctance to support Puzder.

Puzder has faced a range of criticisms, from his record running the Hardee's and Carl's Jr.'s fast-food chains, to old allegations — since retracted — of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife. More recently, Puzder disclosed he employed a housekeeper who was not in the country legally. Labor unions, which had planned to protest his nomination outside the Senate offices where the hearing was to be held, have argued a Puzder-led Labor Department would undermine their efforts to raise the federal minimum wage, expand the eligibility for overtime pay, and enforce wage and hour violations, among other things.

Puzder, a corporate attorney by training, was first a lawyer for CKE Restaurants, which operates Hardee's, Carl's Jr., Green Burrito and Red Burrito restaurants. He helped founder Carl Karcher settle an insider trading case with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Then, after the chain fell into financial trouble following its acquisition of Hardee's in the late 1990s, Puzder helped turn the company around and in 2000 was named CEO.

As CEO, and later as a Trump campaign advisor, Puzder has been outspoken about his views on labor policy, contributing to newspaper opinion pages and on television, discussing issues such as immigration. During the Republican presidential primaries, Puzder advocated creating a path to legal status for undocumented workers living in the U.S. He endorsed a more moderate "comprehensive immigration reform," similar to what candidates Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio were proposing at the time.

That endorsement has won him critics from the right, who want the Trump administration to make good on promises to get tougher on illegal immigration and crack down to deport those in the country illegally.

In an opinion piece titled "No to Puzder" in the National Review published Feb. 15, the conservative magazine wrote: "The case for his confirmation has diminished to the point of disappearing."

The most vocal critics, however, have pointed to his industry's record at the very department he would lead.

For the fast-food industry overall, during the 2016 federal fiscal year, the agency found violations in 86 percent of the 1,300 cases it investigated for wage theft, or for unpaid overtime. CKE Restaurants had one of the lowest incidents of reported cases, faring relatively well in an industry that came in for a lot of criticism under the Obama administration.

Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, said Puzder would not have enforced labor laws against his own industry. "How can he possibly go out and defend workers," he said, arguing the agency should be headed by someone with a history of trying to protect the interests of workers.</s>(CNN) Andrew Puzder has withdrawn as President Donald Trump's choice for labor secretary, a dramatic decision caused by a GOP revolt that claimed the first Cabinet nominee of the new administration.

Puzder, the CEO of the company that owns the Hardee's and Carl's Jr. fast food chains, faced fierce opposition mostly from Democrats in part related to his position on labor issues as well as the fact that he employed an undocumented immigrant housekeeper.

But Republicans too had grown weary of the range of liabilities facing Puzder, and senior GOP officials informed the White House Tuesday night and Wednesday that Puzder lacked a viable path for confirmation.

"After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor," Puzder said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. "I am honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America's workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity.

"I also thank my family and my many supporters -- employees, businesses, friends and people who have voiced their praise and hopeful optimism for the policies and new thinking I would have brought to America as Secretary of Labor. While I won't be serving in the administration, I fully support the President and his highly qualified team."

The decision came as Senate Republicans told the White House he was losing support, a senior GOP source said, adding there were four firm Republican no votes and possibly up to 12.

His team subsequently began to pull back from all their plans regarding the confirmation process. Puzder was scheduled to do extensive preparation on Wednesday afternoon for his confirmation hearing before the Senate on Thursday, but canceled the so-called "murder board" after top Republicans spoke to the White House, a source close to Puzder told CNN.

Around the same time, sources on Capitol Hill were told Puzder was expected to cancel his confirmation hearing. And Puzder's team told the White House that he did not want to go forward with the nomination if there was no clear path forward.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer fanned the flames behind the opposition to Puzder in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

"No matter how you cut it, there is no worse pick for labor secretary than Andrew Puzder, and I'm encouraged my Republican colleagues are starting to agree," the New York Democrat said. "He does not belong anywhere near the Labor Department, let alone at the head of it. Puzder's disdain for the American worker, the very people he would be responsible for protecting, is second to none."

The fingerpointing has already begun among Republicans.

GOP sources are privately pointing the finger at business groups for not giving political cover to Republicans. They say that they were swamped by labor groups and progressive forces looking to derail Puzder, while the business community sat on the sidelines.

A source said the unions have eaten "their lunch."

"They literally were raising money in like $5,000 increments when millions were being spent against them," one top GOP source says. "His entire support network made one TV ad that looked like a welcome video for new Hardee's employees, which referred to "her" and "she" while praising the boss who hired them. Everyone knew he was in trouble weeks ago and even his strongest supporters and biggest beneficiaries of his point of view as labor nominee would not open their wallets."

Puzder faced intense criticism since his appointment on December 8. Current and former employees spoke out against him from the start, and Democrats and labor activists attacked his record on worker rights.

The fast food executive has a long history of fighting against government regulation, a $15 minimum wage and the Affordable Care Act.

Decades ago, Puzder's ex-wife, Lisa Fierstein, levied charges of domestic abuse against him, which she later dropped. She also appeared in disguise on Oprah Winfrey's TV show to talk about domestic violence in 1990. In advance of Puzder's scheduled hearing, senators privately reviewed the tape.

Senators were shown the video in the lead up to Puzder's nomination fight.

Puzder has denied he abused his wife.

That hasn't been the only issue. Last week, he admitted to having employed an undocumented immigrant as a housekeeper. He later said that he and his wife let the housekeeper go when they learned of her immigration status, and he said they paid back taxes on the employee and offered her help getting legal status.

All the complaints pertained to franchised locations that are independently operated. But the workers said they reflected poorly on a chief executive who hoped to lead the Labor Department. A spokesman for CKE Restaurants said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

"They're always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, there's never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex, or race discrimination case," Puzder told Business Insider in March 2016.

It took weeks for senators to get Puzder's financial disclosure information. He had promised to step down as CEO of the company, CKE Restaurants, if confirmed, and to divest his stake in 200 companies and funds.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrew Puzder says he is withdrawing as President Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary.

The fast food executive says in a statement provided to The Associated Press that he was “honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America’s workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity.”

Puzder says “while I won’t be serving in the administration, I fully support the President and his highly qualified team.”

Puzder’s confirmation hearing was scheduled for Thursday. But some Republicans had raised concerns about his failure to pay taxes for five years on a former housekeeper who wasn’t authorized to work in the U.S.

Puzder is CEO of CKE Restaurants Inc.</s>For a while, the answers to those questions were not encouraging. Senate Republicans confirmed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos despite her overt hostility towards public schools and complete lack of familiarity with the basics of education policy. They confirmed HHS Secretary Tom Price despite his investment scandals, radical ideology, fringe associations, and repeated falsehoods during his confirmation hearing. They confirmed Treasury Secretary Steve Mnunchin after he failed to disclose millions of dollars he parked in the Cayman Islands.



Is there any limit as to who GOP senators will support? Apparently, The question in recent weeks surrounding Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees has been simple: Will Senate Republicans confirm literally anyone? Or more to the point, do standards for cabinet posts still exist in any meaningful way?For a while, the answers to those questions were not encouraging. Senate Republicans confirmed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos despite her overt hostility towards public schools and complete lack of familiarity with the basics of education policy. They confirmed HHS Secretary Tom Price despite his investment scandals, radical ideology, fringe associations, and repeated falsehoods during his confirmation hearing. They confirmed Treasury Secretary Steve Mnunchin after he failed to disclose millions of dollars he parked in the Cayman Islands.Is there any limit as to who GOP senators will support? Apparently, yes

Andy Puzder, President Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, withdrew his nomination on Wednesday amid growing questions about his business record and scrutiny from senators on both sides of the aisle.



The head of CKE Restaurants, which owns Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., came under harsh criticism from Democrats and liberal groups for his opposition to raising the minimum wage, past controversial comments, and the racy ads his properties have used to promote the fast-food chains.





But what ultimately derailed his nomination was the lengthy list of controversies, including allegations of 



Unanimous Democratic opposition wouldn’t be enough to stop Puzder – who, as recently as Monday, enjoyed the enthusiastic backing of the Senate GOP leadership – but 



At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, meanwhile, Donald Trump’s White House has just been handed another embarrassing setback, driven in part by Trump World’s latest failure to vet their nominees. Puzder was less a Labor Secretary nominee and more a caricature of what a ridiculous cabinet selection looks like. Even by contemporary Republican standards, his overt hostility towards working people stood out as breathtaking.But what ultimately derailed his nomination was the lengthy list of controversies, including allegations of domestic abuse hiring undocumented workers , and multiple unresolved controversies surrounding his own businesses. The fact that Puzder’s confirmation hearings were delayed multiple times, in part because he seemed reluctant to provide the Senate with his background materials, didn’t help.Unanimous Democratic opposition wouldn’t be enough to stop Puzder – who, as recently as Monday, enjoyed the enthusiastic backing of the Senate GOP leadership – but enough Republican senators saw the Labor Secretary nominee as simply a bridge too far, even for them.At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, meanwhile, Donald Trump’s White House has just been handed another embarrassing setback, driven in part by Trump World’s latest failure to vet their nominees.</s>Andrew Puzder withdrew Wednesday as President Donald Trump’s labor secretary nominee as controversy deepened over his personal life and private sector background.

Puzder had been scheduled for a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday. The fast-food executive ran into trouble on Capitol Hill over his admission that he employed an undocumented housekeeper. Also shadowing his nomination were divorce-court proceedings that included a domestic-abuse allegation. Some conservatives, likewise, had questioned his pro-immigration stance.

In an emailed statement, Puzder said he had hoped to “put America’s workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity” and bring “new thinking” to the job.

At least six Republicans had said they weren’t ready to back Puzder and were waiting for his confirmation hearing. CNN reported earlier Wednesday that top Senate Republicans urged the White House to withdraw Puzder’s nomination because at least four, and as many as 12, GOP senators planned to vote against confirmation.

In the 52-48 Senate, three Republican defections would have doomed Puzder if all 48 Democrats voted to deny him.

Puzder is head of the fast food conglomerate CKE Restaurants Inc. that includes Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. His withdrawal comes after a week that saw party-line confirmations in the Senate and a tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President Mike Pence to confirm Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. That 51-50 tally was the first time a vice president ever broke a tie on a cabinet nomination.

Trump has already lost one senior member of his administration. He dismissed Mike Flynn as national security adviser on Monday because the administration said he may have misled the president and vice president about his communications with a Russian envoy.

Puzder acknowledged early this month that he employed an undocumented immigrant as a housekeeper until learning of the worker’s immigration status. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, had said last week that allegations of hiring undocumented workers have sunk other Cabinet nominees, but not always.

“We’re always looking for nominees who have never made a mistake,” McConnell told reporters at the time. “He realized the mistake. He fixed it and I think is eminently qualified for the job.”

Opponents also seized on multiple news reports that Puzder had been accused by Lisa Fierstein, his first wife, of domestic abuse. Puzder denied the allegations. Fierstein, in a Jan. 18 letter to lawmakers, said that she had made such allegations against Puzder but later withdrew them, saying “Andy is not and was not abusive or violent.”

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine — one of those who expressed doubts about Puzder earlier this week — said she had viewed an episode of Oprah Winfrey’s talk show dealing with domestic violence in which Fierstein appeared.

“I am reviewing the other information that has come to light, and I’m sure all of this has been explored thoroughly,” Collins said at the time.

Puzder had agreed to divest an ownership stake worth as much as $50 million in his closely held fast-food company if he was confirmed as the next labor secretary, according to his federal financial disclosure and ethics agreement.

Democrats sharply criticized Puzder’s nomination, as Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said he “is so anti-working people that it’s appalling.”

Puzder opposes efforts to raise the minimum wage. He also has written that legal immigration was an asset to the nation and that it would be unworkable to deport the 11 million undocumented people in the U.S., as Trump promised repeatedly during his campaign.

But he also said Trump’s proposals to build a border wall, stiffen enforcement and defund cities that provide sanctuary to undocumented immigrants were reasonable.</s>Fast-food executive Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination to head the Labor Department on Wednesday as his support on Capitol Hill faltered. Facing criticism from both sides of the aisle, Puzder became the first Trump Cabinet pick whose nomination failed.



"After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I am withdrawing my nomination for Secretary of Labor. I am honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America's workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity. I want to thank President Trump for his nomination. I also thank my family and my many supporters—employees, businesses, friends and people who have voiced their praise and hopeful optimism for the policies and new thinking I would have brought to America as Secretary of Labor. While I won't be serving in the administration, I fully support the President and his highly qualified team."



Ahead of his scheduled confirmation hearing on Thursday, which had been delayed several times, it became less clear Puzder had support from his own party, facing pressure to withdraw. Several Republican senators, including Maine's Susan Collins, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, Georgia's Johnny Isakson and South Carolina's Tim Scott, signaled trouble by saying they were undecided on Puzder.

In a statement responding to Puzder's withdrawal, Scott said, "As revelations regarding paying employees in cash, illegal immigration, and comments regarding some of the American workforce came to light, I developed serious concerns regarding his nomination." Scott said he informed Senate GOP leadership about his reluctance to support Puzder.

Puzder has faced a range of criticisms, from his record running the Hardee's and Carl's Jr.'s fast-food chains to old allegations — since retracted — of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife. More recently, Puzder disclosed he employed a housekeeper who was not in the country legally. Labor unions, which had planned to protest his nomination outside the Senate offices where the hearing was to be held, have argued a Puzder-led Labor Department would undermine their efforts to raise the federal minimum wage, expand the eligibility for overtime pay and enforce wage and hour violations, among other things.

Puzder, a corporate attorney by training, was first a lawyer for CKE Restaurants, which operates Hardee's, Carl's Jr., Green Burrito and Red Burrito restaurants. He helped founder Carl Karcher settle an insider trading case with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Then, after the chain fell into financial trouble following its acquisition of Hardee's in the late 1990s, Puzder helped turn the company around and in 2000 was named CEO.

As CEO, and later as a Trump campaign adviser, Puzder has been outspoken about his views on labor policy, contributing to newspaper opinion pages and on television, discussing issues such as immigration. During the Republican presidential primaries, Puzder advocated creating a path to legal status for unauthorized workers living in the U.S. He endorsed a more moderate "comprehensive immigration reform," similar to what candidates Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio were proposing at the time.

That endorsement won him critics from the right, who want the Trump administration to make good on promises to get tougher on illegal immigration and crack down to deport those in the country illegally.

In an opinion piece titled "No to Puzder" in the National Review published Feb. 15, the conservative magazine wrote: "The case for his confirmation has diminished to the point of disappearing."

The most vocal critics, however, have pointed to his industry's record at the very department he would lead.

For the fast-food industry overall, during the 2016 federal fiscal year, the agency found violations in 86 percent of the 1,300 cases it investigated for wage theft, or for unpaid overtime. CKE Restaurants had one of the lowest incidents of reported cases, faring relatively well in an industry that came in for a lot of criticism under the Obama administration.

Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, said Puzder would not have enforced labor laws against his own industry. "How can he possibly go out and defend workers," he said, arguing the agency should be headed by someone with a history of trying to protect the interests of workers.</s>President Donald Trump will announce his new labor secretary pick at 11:30 p.m. before reporters in the East Room, according to the White House.

“We are going to be announcing, I guess I will do it at 12 o’clock, a new secretary of labor, who is really phenomenal,” Trump said during brief remarks he made while meeting with lawmakers at the White House. “The man I will be announcing for labor is a star, a great person, a great person.”

Andrew Puzder, Trump’s first pick to leader the Labor Department, withdrew his nomination Wednesday after Republican senators began telling the White House that they would not back the nominee.

Puzder, the CEO of the company that owns the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. fast food chains, faced fierce opposition mostly from Democrats in part related to his position on labor issues as well as the fact that he employed an undocumented immigrant housekeeper.

But Republicans, too, had grown weary of the range of liabilities facing Puzder, and senior GOP officials informed the White House Tuesday night and Wednesday that Puzder lacked a viable path for confirmation.

The turbulent nomination process wore on Puzder, too, with aides close to the nominee telling CNN that he was taken aback by the harshness of politics.</s>President Donald Trump mounted a vigorous defense of his presidency Thursday, pushing back against media reports that his campaign advisers had inappropriate contact with Russian officials and vowing to crack down on the leaking of classified information.

 

 Nearly a month into his presidency, Trump said in a free-wheeling White House news conference that his new administration had made "significant progress'' and took credit for an optimistic business climate and a soaring stock market.

 

 The president denounced media reports of a chaotic start to his administration marked by a contentious executive order - now tied up in a legal fight - to place a ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations.

 

 "This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine," Trump declared. He said he would announce a "new and very comprehensive order to protect our people.''

 

 Throughout the news conference in the East Room of the White House, the new president delivered repeated criticism of the news media, accusing it of being "out of control'' and promising to take his message "straight to the people.''

 

 He dismissed recent reports in The New York Times and CNN that Trump campaign aides had been in contact with Russian officials before his election. Trump called Paul Manafort, his former campaign manager who has ties to Ukraine and Russia, a "respected man.''

 

 Trump called the reports a "ruse" and said he had "nothing to do with Russia.'' Trump added, "Russia is fake news. This is fake news put out by the media.''

 

 WATCH: Trump on Russia



 Amid reports of widespread leaks within his administration, Trump also warned that he would clamp down on the dissemination of sensitive information, saying he had asked the Justice Department to look into the leaks. "Those are criminal leaks,'' adding, "The leaks are real. The news is fake.''

 

 The president announced that Alexander Acosta, the dean of the Florida International University law school, would be his nominee for Labor secretary. It came a day after fast-food executive Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination for Labor after losing support among Republican senators.

 

 Trump, a reality television star and real estate mogul who was elected as an outsider intent on change, opened the hastily arranged news conference to bash coverage by the news media. He accused reporters of not telling the truth and only serving special interests.

 

 "The press has become so dishonest that if we don't talk about it, we are doing a tremendous disservice to the American people," Trump said.

 

 The president said his ousted national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was "just doing his job," but said he was "not happy" with how information about Flynn's phone call to a Russian diplomat was relayed to Vice President Mike Pence.

 

 But Trump said what Flynn did "wasn't wrong" and said he had identified a strong replacement for Flynn, which made the decision to let him go easier.

 

 Trump is said to favor Vice Admiral Robert Harward, a former Navy SEAL, as his next national security adviser, according to a White House official. Harward met with top White House officials last week and has the backing of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. He is slated to meet with officials later Thursday.

 

 Earlier in the day, Trump had a breakfast meeting with some of his staunchest House supporters.

 

 The White House has said Trump asked for Flynn's resignation because he had misled Vice President Mike Pence over his dealings with Russia and whether he had discussed sanctions with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. before Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration. Flynn previously had denied those conversations to Pence and other top officials.

 

 On Thursday, he warned in a pair of tweets that "low-life leakers'' of classified information will be caught. As journalists were being escorted out of the breakfast meeting, Trump responded to a reporter's question on the subject by saying: "We're going to find the leakers'' and "they're going to pay a big price.''
Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, withdraws from consideration to be Secretary of Labor in President Donald Trump's cabinet.