President Donald Trump's pick to fill a Federal Reserve vacancy said he did not plan to resign from his White House role, if confirmed, alarming Democrats who said his elevation would bring the president closer to controlling the central bank.
Stephen Miran, currently chief of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers, told lawmakers at his confirmation hearing on Thursday that he intended to take a leave of absence from the White House, given the short term nature of the Fed post.
He assured them that he would act independently if confirmed.
But he demurred when Democrats demanded he prove his independence by going on the record saying Trump had lost the 2020 election.
He also ducked questions asking him whether the president was right when he claimed that officials had faked jobs data for political reasons and on his past recommendations for Fed overhaul, including warnings against naming political figures to the board.
