National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett responded to Sen. Chuck Schumer calling him a "flack," on CNBC this morning, and said the appearance of partisan manipulation of jobs numbers more than justified the firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer.

McEntarfer's firing added to growing concerns about the quality of U.S. economic data and came on the heels of a raft of new tariffs on dozens of trading partners, sending global stock markets tumbling as Trump presses ahead with plans to reorder the global economy.