Trump’s latest Federal Reserve pick withdraws

Conservative commentator Stephen Moore withdrew from consideration for the Federal Reserve board Thursday afternoon after losing Republican support in the Senate over past disparaging comments about women. As an adviser to President Donald Trump’s campaign, Moore helped design the Republican tax cut legislation that became law in 2017. Trump tweeted the news of his withdrawal, saying, “Steve won the battle of ideas including Tax Cuts and deregulation which have produced non-inflationary prosperity for all Americans.”

“[The] unrelenting attacks on my character have become untenable for me and my family, and three more months of this would be too hard on us,” Moore said in a note to the president that he later released, adding, “I am always at your disposal.”

Numerous Republican senators objected to the commentator’s past writings on women. In a 2000 column for The Washington Times, Moore wondered why women “showed up in droves in tight skirts” at college parties if “they were so oppressed and offended by drunken, lustful frat boys.” Moore said in recent weeks that he regretted the comments.