U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he was nominating economist E.J. Antoni as the new Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, 10 days after firing the agency's previous leader following a weak scorecard of the job market,

E.J. Antoni, a staunch critic of the agency, had emerged in recent days as a favorite candidate among some influential Trump advisors, including Stephen K. Bannon. He has questioned the legitimacy of the agency’s data over the past year.

President Trump, who claimed former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer of manipulating jobs data, said Antoni would release "honest and accurate" numbers.