Stephen Moore withdrawing from Fed Board consideration, Trump tweets
Stephen Moore, President Trump's pick for the Federal Reserve Board who had become highly controversial over past comments about women and views on monetary policy, is withdrawing his name from consideration, the president tweeted Thursday afternoon.
"Steve Moore, a great pro-growth economist and a truly fine person, has decided to withdraw from the Fed process. 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," the president wrote.
CBS News' Major Garrett obtained Moore's letter to Mr. Trump withdrawing from consideration, which praised the president's policies and said "Trumponomics has been VINDICATED."
"Your confidence in me makes what I am about to say much harder. I am respectfully asking that you withdraw my name from consideration," Moore said in his letter. "The unrelenting attacks on my character have become untenable for me and my family and 3 more months of this would be too hard on us."
Moore added that he would "continue to be a loud economic voice advocating for your policies."
By Thursday, it had become unclear whether Moore had enough votes to pass in the Senate, with some Republicans casting doubt on whether Moore, who had yet to be formally nominated, could garner enough support.
In an interview with Bloomberg News just hours before Mr. Trump announced he was withdrawing, Moore said he was "all in" and had the support of the White House.
The White House had been reviewing Moore's past comments, in which he suggested women didn't belong in or at sporting events, among other controversial statements.
But the White House insisted Mr. Trump stood behind Moore, despite his comments.
"The president stands behind him," top Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said earlier this week.
Moore's withdrawal from the process comes not long after Herman Cain also withdrew from consideration after past allegations of sexual misconduct against women resurfaced.