William Beach, the former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics who was nominated by President Donald Trump and led the agency during his first term, has condemned the firing of his successor, calling it “totally groundless” and warning that it “sets a dangerous precedent.”
“The totally groundless firing of Dr. Erika McEntarfer, my successor as Commissioner of Labor Statistics at BLS, sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau,” he posted on X.
In a longer statement he co-signed, he called on Congress to investigate the matter and “strongly urged” that McEntarfer continue to serve, warning that her firing “undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics” that are “the gold standard globally.”
“When leaders of other nations have politicized economic data, it has destroyed public trust in all official statistics and in government science,” Beach wrote alongside colleagues from the “Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics” group.
-ABC News’ Ben Siegel
