Andrew Puzder, center with President Trump and Vice President Pence, has faced weeks of intense criticism from Democrats and liberal groups over workplace violations at Puzde restaurants, sexually suggestive ads, and his opposition to wage regulations. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) 
 
 Andrew Puzder, the fast-food executive whom President Trump nominated to be labor secretary, emerged Monday as Democrats’ last, best hope of defeating one of Trump’s Cabinet choices as four key Republicans are on the fence about his nomination. 
 
 The unenthusiastic reception from the Republican lawmakers comes after weeks of intense criticism from Democrats and liberal groups over workplace violations at Puzder’s restaurants Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., sexually suggestive ads featuring bikini-clad models eating burgers, and his opposition to wage regulations. Puzder has also been accused of domestic abuse — an accusation that was later recanted — and has acknowledged hiring an undocumented worker for his home. 
 
 Puzder, 66, has faced the most early skepticism of any nominee besides Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who won confirmation. The Republican senators who were noncommittal about Puzder’s nomination on Monday — Susan Collins (Maine), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Tim Scott (S.C.) — sit on the committee that will hold his confirmation hearing Thursday. If they oppose him, his nomination is all but certainly dead. 
 
 Even if Puzder makes it out of committee, his final status may come down to a tiebreaker vote from Vice President Mike Pence similar to what happened last week for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. It is the latest reminder of the paradox of Trump’s Cabinet nominees — they have struggled for confirmation more than the nominees of any other administration in recent history, but criticism that might have in the past doomed a candidate’s chances may no longer prove decisive. 
 
 Some Republicans say they are willing to overlook issues related to undocumented workers or unpaid taxes for the opportunity to have a business-minded leader in the Labor Department. But the racy ads and domestic violence allegations may test some conservatives and women’s groups. 
 
 Collins said Monday that she has reviewed footage of an “Oprah Winfrey Show” interview with Puzder’s ex-wife, Lisa Fierstein, who once appeared in disguise on the program to discuss the multiple times, she says, that Puzder physically assaulted her in the 1980s. Fierstein retracted the allegations, and he has always denied that he abused her. 
 
 “I’m going to wait until the issues that have arisen are fully explored at his hearing,” Collins told reporters. “I am reviewing the other information that has come to light, and I’m sure all of this will be explored thoroughly,” she added, without specifying what information is of concern. 
 
 Collins’s revelation that senators have seen footage of Fierstein’s interview with Winfrey is notable, because Democrats and other organizations have been desperately seeking the footage for weeks in hopes of airing it and derailing Puzder’s nomination. 
 
 Sen. Lamar Alexander ­(R-Tenn.), who chairs the health committee, told reporters Monday that he worked with Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the committee’s top Democrat, to arrange for senators to view a tape of the episode. Alexander said he has not seen the segment himself but he does plan to vote to approve Puzder’s nomination. 
 
 “His former wife has said it was all not true,” Alexander said. “She has reiterated that in a heartfelt letter to members of the committee and has been willing to talk to members of the committee, so I don’t think that’s an issue.” 
 
 Puzder’s personal wealth has also earned scrutiny that has delayed his nomination for several weeks. Federal disclosure forms delivered to the Senate last week show that most of his wealth is tied to CKE Restaurants and that he plans to divest those holdings within six months if he is confirmed to lead the Labor Department. 
 
 The White House is standing by Puzder, declaring last week that he would be confirmed. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters that he is “enthusiastically” supporting the nominee. 
 
 Some business groups are also joining top Republicans in fighting the criticism by urging senators to back the nomination. A coalition of trade groups, including the International Franchise Association, the National Restaurant Association and the National Retail Federation, sent a letter to senators Monday praising Puzder’s “business experience and policy acumen.” Statewide restaurant associations in Maine and Alaska sent separate letters to Collins and Murkowski asking for their support. 
 
 If confirmed, Puzder would be the first labor secretary since the Reagan era to come to the role without any public-service experience. 
 
 Puzder got his start in the fast-food industry working as a personal attorney for Carl Karcher, the founder of the Carl’s Jr. restaurant chain. He helped Karcher avoid bankruptcy and in 1997 became executive vice president and general counsel for CKE. He then became president and chief executive of CKE in 2000, and he currently oversees 75,000 workers in 3,750 locations. 
 
 Puzder has spent much of his career promoting the idea that businesses thrive better when the government doesn’t interfere. In interviews, speeches and op-eds, he has long argued that rules substantially increasing the minimum wage or expanding the number of people who qualify for overtime pay, for example, could drive up the cost of labor and decrease the number of jobs. 
 
 In an opinion piece for Forbes, he said that the Obama administration’s overtime rule would force employers to cut costs elsewhere and limit some workers’ schedules. During a Business Insider interview last year, Puzder said that because of rising labor costs, he would consider investing in machines to replace some workers, because “they never take a vacation, they never show up late, there’s never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex, or race discrimination case.” 
 
 Labor groups and other critics say they are concerned about Puzder’s pure capitalist mind-set, noting that if confirmed, he may end up tilting the scales in favor of corporations. 
 
 But George Thompson, a spokesman for Puzder, said that if confirmed, Puzder would recuse himself from any business related to CKE and would remain impartial when it comes to rulemaking and enforcement. 
 
 Opponents also cite stories from employees at Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. who allege they have had to work through breaks, not been paid for sick leave or been harassed on the job. 
 
 “He’s going to be essentially responsible for enforcing the same laws that he’s been breaking for years,” said Kendall Fells, national organizing director of the Fight for $15, a group advocating for a higher minimum wage that organized lunchtime protests Monday at CKE offices in St. Louis and Anaheim, Calif., as well as restaurant locations throughout the country. 
 
 Women’s groups, such as the National Women’s Law Center, and labor advocates question whether he will defend female workers, citing what they say are demeaning ads that feature models eating burgers in skimpy outfits. Puzder, however, has defended the campaign as “American” and characterized it as a strategy for luring “young, hungry guys.” 
 
 On Tuesday, the Campaign for Accountability, a nonprofit watchdog, will head to a Missouri state court for a status update on its efforts to unseal Puzder’s divorce records, arguing that the domestic violence allegations “raise serious concerns about his fitness” to be labor secretary. 
 
 Yet some businesses and Republicans say they look forward to having someone in the Labor Department who understands that regulations can force businesses to make tough calls. 
 
 “We don’t want our workers to feel like they’re not being paid a fair wage, but we want people to understand the ramifications of it,” said Peter Riggs, president of Pita Pit USA, a quick-service sandwich chain with about 600 locations in the United States and Canada. “He understands what we’re going through.” 
 
 Puzder’s fate will ultimately depend on whether his opponents can sway more than two Senate Republicans to vote against him. 
 
 
 
 The Republicans hesitating to publicly support him said they will make up their minds after the hearing. 
 
 “No real story here,” said a spokeswoman for Scott, noting that the senator hasn’t been commenting on nominees “until their confirmation hearing,” with the exception of fellow South Carolina Republicans Nikki Haley, nominated to serve as United Nations ambassador, and Rep. Mick Mulvaney, nominated to lead the Office of Management and Budget. 
 
 Consistent with his policy on other nominees, “Senator Isakson will make a final decision after Mr. Puzder’s confirmation hearing on Thursday,” a spokeswoman said via email. 
 
 Murkowski said she “will be working to learn more about Mr. Puzder leading up to and during the upcoming hearing, as well as through additional one-on-one conversations with him,” a spokeswoman said. 
 
 Kelsey Snell contributed to this report. 

 The ex-wife of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be labor secretary, Andrew Puzder, appeared in disguise on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as a victim of domestic violence, after having accused him multiple times of physically assaulting her in the 1980s, according to two friends of hers and a spokesman for the former couple. 
 
 Additionally, a 1988 petition obtained by POLITICO from the Circuit Court of St. Louis County provides previously unreported details of the alleged abuse: Puzder’s ex-wife, Lisa Fierstein, accused him of having "assaulted and battered [her] by striking her violently about the face, chest, back, shoulders, and neck, without provocation or cause," and that as a consequence she “suffered severe and permanent injuries.” 
 
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 Fierstein’s accusations first surfaced in local news reports around the time of their divorce. She has retracted the allegations in the weeks leading up to Puzder’s confirmation hearing, suggesting she made them up to bolster her divorce settlement. Puzder has always denied that he abused her. 
 
 But women’s groups are using the charges as ammunition in their fight to oppose his nomination. And Fierstein’s appearance on “Oprah,” when she was known as Lisa Henning, raises new questions, showing that she went beyond divorce-settlement tactics to portray herself on national television as an anonymous victim of domestic violence. 
 
 Fierstein appeared on the show in a wig and glasses, and was identified only by the made-up name of Ann. Multiple sources, including George Thompson, a spokesman for Puzder and Fierstein, confirmed the appearance. Fierstein did not mention Puzder by name, but a friend of hers who previously worked for her told POLITICO that Fierstein made clear to her that the allegations she made on the program concerned Puzder. Winfrey’s company said it could not locate a tape of the episode. 
 
 Puzder, CEO of fast-food company CKE Restaurants, declined to comment for this story. A spokeswoman for the Trump transition dismissed the latest revelations. 
 
 “This is part of a desperate smear campaign to distract from President-elect Trump’s agenda of creating jobs and opportunities for American workers,” spokeswoman Liz Johnson said in an email. “As both Mr. Puzder and Ms. Fierstein have made clear, these were false allegations that were made 30 years ago, and in fact, they are good friends.” 
 
 Puzder’s confirmation hearing, originally scheduled to take place next week, has been delayed as the Senate confronts a crowded nominations calendar, and may not take place until February, a Senate aide said Tuesday. 
 
 Puzder’s support in the Senate seems solid among Republicans so far, but Democrats and women’s groups plan to make his confirmation uncomfortable, even if it’s a losing cause. 
 
 “I can’t imagine a single organization that cares about women that would not vigorously oppose him,” said Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women. 
 
 Puzder and Fierstein claim amicable relations today, and Fierstein says they have even shared Thanksgiving dinner. But after they divorced in 1987, Fierstein sued Puzder, alleging that he had committed assault and battery the year before. 
 
 In an email to Puzder last November, disclosed by him, Fierstein wrote: “You know how deeply I regret many of the rash decisions I made at that time, and I sincerely hope that none of those decisions will become an issue for you. … You were not abusive.” 
 
 In a brief interview with POLITICO this week, Fierstein called her ex-husband “a terrific guy with a wonderful character.” Court documents show that both agreed to drop abuse charges as part of a 1990 child-custody agreement. That same year, Fierstein wrote Puzder: “All allegations of abuse of any kind were made in the context of divorce proceedings. I fully withdraw these allegations.” 
 
 In a follow-up letter the following year, Fierstein wrote: “Our marital relationship deteriorated and events leading to the public humiliation we both endured ensued.” 
 
 Court records show that between 1986 and 1988 Fierstein filed at least three legal documents accusing Puzder of assaulting her in May 1986. One petition obtained by POLITICO described her injuries: “bruises and contusions to the chest, back, shoulders and neck” and “two ruptured discs and two bulging discs,” and “all of the muscles, bones, ligaments and soft tissue of [Fierstein's] face, chest, back, shoulders, and neck were violently wrenched, strained, swollen, contused and otherwise injured.” 
 
 The judge in the case dismissed the petition, in which Fierstein sought $350,000 in damages, on the grounds that Puzder's divorce agreement had already settled all Fierstein's prior claims against him. 
 
 But Fierstein's allegations of abuse weren’t confined to filings related to a divorce agreement. Court documents indicate that Fierstein filed an abuse claim against Puzder before the divorce — within a couple of weeks of the alleged May 1986 domestic violence incident. Fierstein also sought a protective court order against Puzder, documents show. The couple formally separated in June 1986. 
 
 The claim was settled through a consent order that suggests that Puzder had been barred from the house, because the order allowed him to move back into the family home, provided he stayed away from the floors occupied by his wife and children. 
 
 Except for the consent order, none of the 1986 documents was made available by the St. Louis County court to POLITICO, even though the 1988 petition cited them as exhibits. An undated order from the court said the exhibits were “sealed, and shall not be included in the copies of this case file provided to the public.” 
 
 The abuse allegations come on top of Puzder’s history of comments about women and his anti-abortion activism, both of which have also stirred opposition from feminist groups. 
 
 In his capacity running CKE — parent company of Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Green Burrito and Red Burrito — Puzder approved a series of Carl's Jr. ads targeted at young males in which scantily clad models mimicked sexual arousal as they sank their teeth into juicy hamburgers. A 2011 CKE press release said, "We believe in putting hot models in our commercials, because ugly ones don’t sell burgers." 
 
 "I like our ads," Puzder told Entrepreneur magazine in 2015. "I like beautiful women eating burgers in bikinis. I think it's very American. I used to hear, brands take on the personality of the CEO. And I rarely thought that was true. But I think this one, in this case, it kind of did take on my personality.” 
 
 For many women's groups, another strike against Puzder is his previous career as an anti-abortion lawyer in Missouri. The 1986 state law that Puzder helped write restricted women’s access to abortion by requiring, among other things, that physicians determine whether a fetus was "viable" before they abort, and by prohibiting in most cases use of public funds for “encouraging or counseling” a woman to have an abortion. The law, whose text asserted that “the life of each human being begins at conception” and that “unborn children have protectable interests in life, health, and well-being,” was upheld in the 1989 Supreme Court decision Webster v. Reproductive Health Services. 
 
 Thompson provided testimonials from women employed at CKE, praising Puzder. 
 
 “Andy is always very respectful to women,” said Cheryl Soper, vice president of benefits at CKE, in a written statement. “I have been in many meetings with him, and he doesn’t treat anyone differently, man or woman.” 

 Washington (CNN) Four Republican senators have told GOP leadership they are withholding support for President Donald Trump's choice for labor secretary, setting off an intense effort by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and business groups to bring at least two back into the fold so that the nomination does not fail, several sources involved in the effort tell CNN. 
 
 The four, these sources say, are GOP Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Johnny Isakson of Georgia. 
 
 Fast food executive Andrew Puzder is the President's choice, and among the last Cabinet picks to get a confirmation hearing because of controversies that include an admission he employed an undocumented housekeeper. His hearing, delayed several times, is now scheduled for Thursday. 
 
 Republicans are not counting on any Democratic votes for Puzder. So, with a 52-48 majority, they would need to hold at least 50 Republicans, as was the case last week when Vice President Mike Pence was called on to break the tie and advance the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as education secretary. 
 
 Murkowski and Collins were the two GOP defections on the DeVos vote, and of the four who have voiced reservations about Puzder are viewed as the most difficult to get back in the fold. 
 
 Read More 

 The decades-old video has been provided by the Oprah Winfrey Network. | AP Photo Oprah gives tape with Puzder abuse allegations to Senate 
 
 Senators in both parties have viewed an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in which President Donald Trump's Labor Secretary nominee Andrew Puzder's former wife leveled allegations of physical abuse against him, according to sources familiar with the matter. 
 
 The decades-old video, which is not easily found, has been provided by the Oprah Winfrey Network, those sources said. The video has been provided to senators in a Capitol Hill office building, according to people who have seen it. 
 
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 "I’ve arranged for senators on the committee to see that ... I thought that was a reasonable request. No reason not to see it," said HELP Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). "That happened 27 years ago. His former wife has said it was all not true. She has reiterated that in a heartfelt letter to members of the committee and has been willing to talk to members of the committee so I don’t think that’s an issue. “ 
 
 The episode is called "High-Class Battered Women," according to a source familiar with the matter. It aired in March, 1990. 
 
 Alexander said he supports Puzder's nomination. But Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the HELP Committee that will vote on Puzder's nomination, said she was "deeply troubled" by the video. 
 
 "It was important for us to know all of the information about any candidate that comes before us," Murray said in an interview. 
 
 Last month POLITICO reported that Puzder's former wife, Lisa Fierstein, appeared in disguise on Oprah to discuss her abuse allegations, which she has since retracted, most recently in a letter to the Senate HELP Committee. 
 
 The HELP Committee asked OWN for all episodes about domestic violence between 1985 and 1990, OWN said in a written statement, and OWN turned over 20 “for the committee members to review in confidence.” OWN "did not provide copies or transcript of the episodes and has not provided information about the identities of anyone who appeared,” it said. 
 
 Susan Collins (R-Maine) has reviewed the episode, as well. 
 
 Collins is among at least four GOP senators undecided on Puzder, whose confirmation hearing has been scheduled for Thursday. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Tim Scott of South Carolina are also not decided on his nomination. All serve on the HELP Committee. Puzder can only lose two GOP votes if all Democrats oppose his nomination on the Senate floor. It could take just one GOP defection to tag his nomination as "unfavorable" in a committee vote, though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could still bring the nomination to the floor. 
 
 The abuse allegations are only one of the controversies dogging Puzder. His nomination was rocked last week after his spokesman said he had employed an undocumented immigrant for years. The fast-food executive also apprenticed to a Mafia-connected lawyer early in his career, drew criticism for conditions for workers at his CKE restaurant chain and faced accusations of sexism over advertisements showing bikini-clad women eating his company's hamburgers. 
 
 Scott bristled at reports that indicated he opposed Puzder. Still, he said it was "concerning" that it took Puzder five years to pay back taxes on the undocumented immigrant who once worked for him. 
 
 "I have not come out with a position," Scott said. "I've never said I was opposed to him, at all." 
 
 Collins did not say whether the video swayed her. The Maine senator also said she'd inquired about making the video public but was told it was merely being provided so senators could come to their own decisions. 
 
 "I was told that it's owned by the Oprah Network and they will not share it. I couldn't even have my staff view it," she said. 
 
 Not all senators on the HELP Committee have seen it. Both Democratic Sens. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Tim Kaine of Virginia said they had not. 
 
 GOP leaders said that they were confident Puzder would prevail regardless of the swirl of controversy around him. Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has called on Trump to withdraw Puzder's nomination, which is now Democrats' top target as Republican leaders fight to get their 52-member caucus behind him. 
 
 Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) said the nomination was "all good." 
 
 "Full speed ahead. I've talked to a number of [undecided senators] and I'm confident he'll be confirmed. He's a good nominee," Cornyn said. 
 
 Collins said nothing about what Fierstein said on the tape. Another senator who has viewed the video also declined to describe it. 
 
 Fierstein’s accusations first surfaced in local news reports around the time of her divorce from Puzder. She has since suggested she made them up to bolster her divorce settlement. Puzder has always denied that he abused her. 
 
 Fierstein appeared on the Oprah show in a wig and glasses, and was identified only by the made-up name of Ann. 
 
 View Puzder 'vowed revenge,' wife told Oprah An excerpt of 1990 interview of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' with Lisa Fierstein, ex-wife of Andrew Puzder. POLITICO obtained the tape from Charlotte Fedders, a fellow guest on the Winfrey show. 
 
 The Campaign For Accountability, a left-leaning nonprofit, will appear Tuesday in court in St. Louis County to try to unseal divorce-related documents concerning the abuse charges that were sealed the day after President Donald Trump tapped Puzder for the job. 
 
 One document that wasn't sealed, a 1988 petition, shows Fierstein accused Puzderof having "assaulted and battered [her] by striking her violently about the face, chest, back, shoulders, and neck, without provocation or cause," and that as a consequence she “suffered severe and permanent injuries.” 
 
 The judge in the case dismissed the petition, in which Fierstein sought $350,000 in damages, on the grounds that Puzder's divorce agreement had already settled all Fierstein's prior claims against him. 
 
 But Fierstein's allegations of abuse weren’t confined to filings related to a divorce agreement. Court documents indicate that Fierstein filed an abuse claim against Puzder before the divorce — within a couple of weeks of the alleged May 1986 domestic violence incident. Fierstein also sought a protective court order against Puzder, documents show. The couple formally separated in June,1986.
– Fast-food executive Andrew Puzder's chances of becoming the next labor secretary appear to be in real jeopardy, and one reason is a tape of an Oprah Winfrey show from the 1990s. Senators have viewed the episode, called "High-Class Battered Women," in which Puzder's ex-wife appears in disguise and accuses him of physical abuse, reports Politico. His ex, Lisa Fierstein, later rescinded the allegations as part of a child-custody agreement, per a previous story in Politico. More recently, she wrote a letter to the Senate HELP Committee saying she regrets appearing on the show. "I was hesitant, but encouraged by friends and became caught up in the notion of a free trip to Chicago and being a champion of women and women’s issues." Winfrey's network turned over the tape to the Senate. "I have gone to review the Oprah show for an hour on which his former wife appeared and I'm reviewing the other information that has come to light," says GOP Sen. Susan Collins, per CNN. "I'm sure all of this will be explored fully." The network reports that Collins and three other Republican senators—Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Johnny Isakson of Georgia—were withholding support for Puzder, raising the prospect that he will be the first nominee of President Trump to fail to gain confirmation. The Washington Post reports that the abuse allegations as well as the racy ads he uses to sell burgers at Hardee's and Carl's Jr. might be enough to doom him. He also has faced criticism over the hiring of an undocumented worker for his home. Republicans would need to get two of the four Republican senators against him to change their minds in order to confirm.