WASHINGTON — Conservative economist E.J. Antoni’s nomination to become the next commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics was withdrawn by the White House late Tuesday, with much of the nation’s capital focused on the ongoing drama of the government shutdown .

“Dr. E.J. Antoni is a brilliant economist and an American patriot that will continue to do good work on behalf of our great country,” a White House official said in a statement.

“President Trump is committed to fixing the longstanding failures at the BLS that have undermined the public’s trust in critical economic data. The President plans to announce a new nominee very soon.” 3

Trump nominated Antoni Aug.11, ten days after firing then-BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer following a lackluster jobs report that coin

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