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Trump's Fed pick Stephen Moore 'embarrassed' by past writings

"They were humor columns, but some of them weren't funny and so I am apologetic; I'm embarrassed by some of those things," Moore told ABC's "This Week."
Image: Stephen Moore visits the Heritage Foundation in Washington on March 22, 2019.
Stephen Moore visits the Heritage Foundation in Washington on March 22, 2019.Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg via Getty Images file

Stephen Moore, President Donald Trump's planned nominee to the Federal Reserve Board, told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that he is "embarrassed" by some of his past writings and commentary about women that have recently come under scrutiny.

"Frankly, I didn't even remember writing some of these they were so long ago," he said of columns that were resurfaced by CNN and The New York Times, adding, "They were humor columns but some of them weren't funny so I am apologetic; I’m embarrassed by some of those things I wrote."

When asked if he regretted any of those writings, Moore said, "Sure I do."

In an email to CNN, the outlet that unearthed writings in which he lamented women's involvement in athletics, Moore had called the old writings "a spoof" and that he had "a sense of humor."

"When it comes to wages and gender equity, I want that to be decided by the market," he said. "I don't want government to intervene."

Last month, Trump announced his intention to nominate Moore to the Fed, calling him an "outstanding choice" and "a very respected economist." But Moore has come under fire in the weeks that followed for a number of controversies, including failure to make alimony payments to his ex-wife and views he expressed about democracy and capitalism.

Moore's controversies come as another of Trump's planned Fed picks, Herman Cain, the 2012 GOP presidential candidate and pizza executive, withdrew from consideration. Cain, who has been accused and denied claims of sexual harassment, said he withdrew because of the strict "ethical restrictions" the job entails. A handful of GOP senators signaled that they would not endorse Cain for the job, which requires Senate confirmation and comes with a 14-year term.

On ABC, Moore said he thinks "we should get back to the issue of whether I'm qualified to be on the Federal Reserve Board, whether I have the, you know, economic expertise."

He added he believes he will "make it through" the confirmation process if he is ultimately nominated.

"If I become a liability to any of these senators, I would withdraw," he said. "I don't think it's going to come to that."