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Fast-Food CEO Andrew Puzder Withdraws as Labor Secretary Nominee

HeadlineFeb 16, 2017

Fast-food CEO Andrew Puzder has withdrawn his nomination as labor secretary one day before his confirmation hearing was set to begin. Puzder was facing increasing criticism for reports of widespread sexual harassment at his chain restaurants, as well as labor and safety violations. He’s also under fire for allegations of domestic violence against his ex-wife, who even appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in disguise in 1990 to speak about being abused. On Wednesday, the website Politico published video of the appearance by Lisa Fierstein.

Lisa Fierstein: “The most frightening thing was leaving, because once I made that break and once I made it public—and remember, my ex-husband was a public figure. Everyone knew him and knew what he was doing. And once I made that public, he vowed revenge. He said, 'I will see you in the gutter. This will never be over. You will pay for this.' I wound up losing everything.”

Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders praised Puzder’s decision to step down, saying, “We need a secretary of labor who is going to fight to raise the minimum wage to a living wage of $15 an hour and pay equity for women. We don’t need a labor secretary who makes millions while his workers are paid starvation wages.”

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