Another one bites the dust. And another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust.
Stephen Moore, the conservative economist and television pundit who had been named by President Trump for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board, has removed his name from contention for the nomination:
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that conservative commentator Stephen Moore has withdrawn as a candidate for the Federal Reserve, a stinging blow to the president’s efforts to install political loyalists at the central bank.
“Steve Moore, a great pro-growth economist and a truly fine person, has decided to withdraw from the Fed process,” Trump tweeted. “Steve won the battle of ideas including Tax Cuts…and deregulation which have produced non-inflationary prosperity for all Americans. I’ve asked Steve to work with me toward future economic growth in our Country.”
Another Fed pick, Herman Cain, also withdrew from consideration recently. The president had declared both men to be his preferred choices for the Fed even before the White House and the FBI had completed vetting them, but both faced stiff opposition from Republicans in the Senate.
Moore, who like Cain was never formally nominated, is withdrawing after a chorus of GOP senators expressed doubt that he would be able to secure enough votes to be confirmed, given his past comments that demeaned women. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a member of the GOP leadership, raised the most emphatic criticism, calling some of his previous writings “ridiculous.
