Former BLS Chief Recounts Shock of Getting Fired Over Jobs Data

Erika McEntarfer, who was fired as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics last month, said official notice of her dismissal came as a complete surprise in a short email from the White House.

On Aug. 1, several hours after her agency reported weak jobs growth in July and substantial downward revisions to the prior two months, McEntarfer said she was contacted by a reporter requesting comment on a social media post from President Donald Trump calling for her immediate firing.

“To be honest, I didn’t actually believe I had been fired,” McEntarfer said in prepared remarks at an ...