U.S. President Donald Trump's choice to lead the Labor Department - Andrew Puzder, CEO officer of CKE Restaurants - admitted to employing an undocumented immigrant as a house cleaner, the kind of revelation that derailed Cabinet nominees in previous administrations.

• Two former nominees under President George W. Bush and one previous nominee under President Bill Clinton. All 3 nominees withdrew their names for consideration after the news came to light.

• Wilbur Ross, Trump's pick for commerce secretary, admitted last month that he recently fired a household employee who could not provide proof of legal status. A Senate panel later approved his nomination; he awaits confirmation by the full Senate.

Late Monday, Andrew Puzder, one of several Trump nominees who face strong opposition from Senate Democrats and progressive groups, issued a statement late Monday that he and his wife had employed a housekeeper for a few years without being aware that she was not legally permitted to work in the United States.

[And of course, during that time he failed to filed employer taxes, take out workers compensation insurance, issue W-2’s, etc.]

"When I learned of her status, we immediately ended her employment and offered her assistance in getting legal status," he said in the statement. He said he paid back taxes for employing the maid to the IRS and to California.

Senator Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, pointed out that Puzder had reported his mistake and voluntarily corrected it – adding that this transgression should not disqualify him from being a cabinet secretary.

Puzder's tentative date for a confirmation hearing has been repeatedly postponed, as the committee awaited completion of an ethics review by the Office of Government Ethics. As of Tuesday, the committee had still not received any of the necessary paperwork on Puzder's nomination, though the FBI background check had been completed, according to a committee aide.

It is unclear whether the issues with hiring an undocumented worker could impede Puzder's confirmation.