There are a lot of steps between when the raw data are collected and we end up with estimates of the unemployment rate, where either mistakes or purposeful manipulation could affect things. But the people in the Bureau of Labor Statistics are much more loyal to their professional duties than they are to the person who happens to be holding office at the time, and who may not be there in six month’s time.
October 5, 2012, Gary Burtless,
National Public Radio