Why the Puzder Nomination Fell Apart

Updated on February 15, 2017 at 4:03 p.m. E.T.

In the end, it wasn’t Andy Puzder’s track record on labor that tanked his bid for the job of labor secretary. Liberals were always unhappy with the Puzder nomination—his history of hostility toward labor regulations made him an unacceptable choice for the head of the agency tasked with enforcing the laws that protect workers, they felt. But what changed in recent days is an emerging focus not on Puzder’s professional history, but on his home life. And it was the liabilities there that ultimately made it hard for more moderate Republicans—particularly women—to support him.  

In divorce papers from three decades ago, Puzder’s ex-wife alleged that he abused her, and she once appeared in disguise on the Oprah Winfrey show to discuss those allegations (which Puzder denied). She has since retracted the allegations, but the tape of her visit to Oprah shown to senators this week. And earlier this month, Puzder that he had employed an undocumented worker as a housekeeper for a few years, a fact that was at odds with Trump’s commitment to cracking down on undocumented workers. He had also failed to pay the required taxes at the time. On Wednesday, the conservative publication published an opposing Puzder’s confirmation both because of the housekeeper revelations and because of his past support for immigration reform.  “The case for his confirmation has diminished to the point of disappearing,” the magazine argued.