He can't withdraw, but he can suspend. https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/suspend.html If withdrawing would have been a plan acceptable to him, suspending is pretty darn close to the same results. (Honestly, not suspending and taking the reduction is pretty darn close to the same results.)

@BobKamman I believe the issue is that he's not full retirement age, and will need to repay some or all of his SS benefits if he has significant W-2 or self-employment earnings.

Regarding shenanigans with his spouse, I have an anecdote. I work for my mother's CPA firm. My father, who is not a CPA, worked part-time in the business for 15 years before he started drawing Social Security at 62. During those years, he never had wages in excess of that year's earning limit, and his wages continued at the same level after he started drawing Social Security because he was still working the same amount. Social Security was extremely suspicious of his claim, and attempted multiple times to assign my mom's earnings to my dad only for purposes of the earnings limit.