Trump firing of statistics chief puts US data credibility at risk, experts warn

Erika McEntarfer's exit could push US into category of countries found to have massaged economic data

Donald Trump's firing of the head of the main agency for producing jobs figures risks propelling the US into the same category as countries notorious for cooking the books" such as Argentina and Greece, experts have warned.

Donald Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) commissioner last Friday, after accusing her agency of faking" the latest employment figures for political purposes," which showed the US economy adding a lower-than-expected 73,000 jobs in July.