Mr. Krueger's nomination points to an entirely different explanation: The president is an empiricist.
He called it a two-man race for the nomination, pointing to his previous wins.
Many civil-rights groups opposed the nomination, pointing out that Sessions has in the past expressed racist views.
Some analysts believe the lull may be connected to Mr. Brennan's nomination, pointing to a similar slowdown in Yemen, the other major theater of American drone operation.
The largest civil rights organization for LGBTQ individuals also sounded alarm over Carson's nomination, pointing to his steadfast opposition to gay equality.
I wanted to be back in government at a position where I could help things in a sound and progressive way, and so I said, 'Yes, I accept.' " Opponents of the nomination pointed out a potential problem.
In a campaign appearance in Jackson, Miss., Mitt Romney, a contender for the Republican presidential nomination, pointed out that there were still 24 million Americans who were unemployed or underemployed, working part time when they would like to have full-time jobs.
Murthy's supporters said they never gave up on his nomination, pointing to his qualifications as a Harvard and Yale-educated physician backed by more than 100 national organizations, as well as former health care officials under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Crowley brought up some the criticisms Santorum leveled at Romney while they were both vying for the GOP nomination, pointing out that he had questioned Romney's authenticity and convictions.
The meeting — at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016, two weeks after Donald J. Trump clinched the Republican nomination — points to the central question in federal investigations of the Kremlin's meddling in the presidential election: whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians.
