Trump Withdraws E.J. Antoni’s Nomination as Labor Statistics Commissioner

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House has withdrawn the nomination of E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

This decision follows revelations that Antoni operated a now-deleted Twitter account that contained derogatory comments about Vice President Kamala Harris, negative statements regarding the LGBTQ community, and various conspiracy theories, as reported earlier this month. The Senate was reportedly informed of the withdrawal in paperwork submitted by the White House.

GOP Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski declined to meet with Antoni, which raised concerns regarding his chances of confirmation. CNN reached out to both the White House and Antoni for comments.

Antoni has previously positioned himself as a proponent of government accountability through media appearances and contributions to the Heritage Foundation. However, his online history showcased a pattern of incendiary comments, including misogyny, according to KFile’s reports. The White House defended Antoni at the time but did not clarify his current beliefs.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, noted that Antoni’s confirmation hearing had not been scheduled, suggesting the nomination was not moving forward. Cassidy stated, ‘If you just look at who we’ve noticed, I think you’ll know whether he’s been pulled or not.’

President Donald Trump previously dismissed Erika McEntarfer from her role as commissioner, alleging without evidence that she manipulated job data. His complaints came after the release of the July jobs report, which revealed minimal job growth and substantial downward revisions for previous months.

The BLS, part of the U.S. Department of Labor, is tasked with providing accurate and impartial labor statistics, but revisions of original job numbers are common. For instance, May’s job estimate was downgraded from 139,000 to 19,000, a significant change of 120,000 jobs. Such revisions—historically averaging around 61,000 jobs between 1979 and 2003—remain critical as investors seek quick and reliable economic data.

The reliability of these reports has become increasingly important as the pace of business accelerates, making rapid and accurate statistics essential.