'The revisions are hard evidence': White House struggles to justify firing of BLS chief over weak jobs numbers
Hassett repeatedly pointed to the revisions in Friday's employment data to justify Trump's firing of BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, but did not provide data showing the latest jobs report was "rigged," as Trump claimed.
"I mean, the revisions are hard evidence," he said on NBC News, adding that there "have been a bunch of patterns that could make people wonder."
Trump on Friday fired McEntarfer, accusing her of manipulating the jobs numbers for political purposes after the latest report included downward revisions to job growth data for two previous months.
Hassett argued that the revisions are a "historically important outlier," saying they raise broader doubts about the data.
He also rejected claims that Trump was shooting the messenger for the weaker-than-expected jobs numbers.
Instead, he said, the president "wants his own people there," suggesting that the data would be "more transparent and more reliable" with a Trump appointee.
"And if there are big changes and big revisions, we expect more big revisions for the jobs data in September, for example, then we want to know why, we want people to explain it to us," he continued. Hassett did not say whether the White House had asked McEntarfer to explain the reason for the revisions in the data before she was fired.
McEntarfer's ouster drew sharp backlash from economists and others, fearing that such a move could undermine trust in the government's data in the future.
Former BLS Commissioner William Beach, whom Trump appointed, said the commissioner's firing was "totally groundless," which "sets a dangerous precedent and undermines the statistical mission of the Bureau."
McEntarfer's firing came after the BLS reported weaker-than-expected jobs figures.
Nonfarm payrolls rose 73,000 in July, above the prior month's 14,000 jobs but below even the meager Dow Jones estimate for a gain of 100,000. June and May totals were revised sharply lower, down by a combined 258,000 from previously announced levels.
Trump has often praised strong jobs reports during periods of growth.
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