WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he intends to nominate Eugene Scalia, the oldest son of the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, to be secretary of labor.
In a tweet on Thursday evening, Trump praised Scalia's experience as a lawyer "with great experience working with labor and everyone else."
Politico first reported earlier on Thursday that Trump would likely tap Scalia for the role .
Scalia, 55, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, would replace Alex Acosta.
Acosta said last week he would step down, after an outcry over his handling of a sex abuse case involving financier Jeffrey Epstein when Acosta was a U.S. prosecutor in Florida. Epstein was arrested in New York on new federal sex-trafficking charges on July 6.
Scalia is a partner at a Washington-area law firm where he specializes in labor and employment matters. He was previously the top lawyer for the Labor Department.
As a lawyer, he has challenged tighter U.S. financial regulations, a rule that forced energy companies to disclose payments made to foreign governments, and an order that required more distance between orcas, or killer whales, and humans after the death of a marine life trainer at SeaWorld Entertainment Inc (N:SEAS).