The ex-wife of labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder sent senators a letter earlier this month disavowing a three-decade old claim she made that he had abused her during their marriage.
Lisa Fierstein said that she falsely made the charge during their divorce due to her anger over their break-up, and also to gain leverage in the legal proceedings.
“[F]irst, let me be clear. Andy is not and was not abusive or violent. He is a good, loving, kind man and a deeply committed and loving father,” she said in a letter dated Jan. 18 that was sent to Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Sen. Patty Murray, the committee’s top Democrat. The letter was obtained by the Washington Examiner from a source involved in the nomination who requested anonymity.
Puzder is currently chief executive officer of CKE Restaurants, which owns the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. franchises. An outspoken advocate of President Trump during the presidential campaign and a staunch critic of federal workplace regulations, he has been a controversial pick for the Cabinet post. Labor groups and liberal lawmakers have opposed him, arguing he wouldn’t look out for workers’ interests, while conservative groups have rallied to his defense.
The letter followed weeks of reports that brought up the abuse allegations despite Fierstein’s repeated earlier disavowals of them. The issue is widely expected to be aired again when Puzder has his first Senate committee hearing, and the letter is apparent attempt to head off those questions.
Fierstein said the allegation was born out of an emotional argument she had with Puzder one night and a resulting desire to hurt him, as well as bad advice from her attorney at the time. She even appeared, anonymously, in a 1980s episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show as a victim of domestic violence.
Fierstein said that she regretted those actions after the emotions cooled and that today she and Puzder are close friends.
“I wish with all of my heart that I could take back those moments of anger and rage. I deeply regret many of the decisions I made while young and hurt and misled by faulty advice of someone I trusted. I wish instead that I could tell you about Andy and his compassion, kindness and generosity,” she said. “The fact that my attorney used ‘adult abuse’ as a vehicle to gain leverage in our divorce proceedings has haunted me as well as our children to this day.”
The Oprah appearance, she said, was the result of becoming “caught up in the notion of a free trip to Chicago and being a champion of women’s issues.”
Puzder currently does not have a date set for a committee hearing, and four previous dates having been canceled. Sources close to situation say the problem is that Democrats have raised questions over how Puzder has divested in investments and sorting out the matter is taking time.
However the delays have resulted in many on Capitol Hill thinking the nomination could be in trouble. Democratic critics has said they are proof that Puzder is stalling. Sources close to Puzder who requested anonymity vehemently dispute that, saying that he has never requested a delay.
Nevertheless, several of Puzder’s allies in Washington have grown worried, saying off the record that the administration needs to resolve the situation quickly.
