'He's ignorant': Meet the data skeptic Trump nominated to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Personnel Changes at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) - Donald Trump nominated EJ and Tony as the new commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, replacing Erica McInterer [1] - Antony, a critic of the BLS and chief economist at the Conservative Heritage Foundation, was supported by Steve Bannon [2] Potential Impact on Data Integrity and Public Trust - Concerns exist that the new appointee may attempt to manipulate economic data [5] - The appointment could undermine public and private sector faith in the reliability of BLS reports [8][9] - There is a possibility of the White House previewing BLS numbers before public release, creating a chilling effect [11] - The administration might consider ceasing the issuance of monthly jobs reports altogether [9][13] Challenges in Manipulating Data - It would be difficult to manipulate the data due to the presence of non-partisan "technocrats" at the BLS [5][6][7] - Any mandate to "cook the books" would likely be leaked and harm the markets [10]