The White House is losing control of its own messaging over Neera Tanden’s nomination to head the Office of Management and Budget as her confirmation by the full Senate seems more and more unlikely.

Democrats have argued that Tanden’s Twitter rhetoric, in which she sharply criticized Republican officials and even some Democrats, isn’t any different from the online screeds of former President Donald Trump. But White House press secretary Jen Psaki has not sounded that message from the White House podium. Other than calling the nominee qualified and a beneficiary of government programs as a child that she would help oversee, team Biden has yet to explain fully why it is willingly taking so much bipartisan fire over this specific nominee and appearing so hellbent on sending what would be a politically damaged budget chief into such an important role.