Stephen Moore calls liberals ‘stupid and evil’ following his withdrawal of Fed board nomination

Conservative commentator Stephen Moore said Monday he thinks liberals are “stupid and evil” following his removal from consideration for a seat on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Directors.

“Why did they run this campaign against me? Because they were terrified of me,” Mr. Moore said.

“We always have this debate: Are liberals just stupid or are they evil? I don’t know — after this, I think they’re stupid and evil,” he said in an interview with “America First” radio show.

President Trump said Thursday Mr. Moore removed himself from contention for the spot on the Federal Reserve, though he was never formally nominated to the position.

“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,” Mr. Trump tweeted.

Mr. Moore released a memo to Mr. Trump after, saying: “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. I am always at your disposal.”

He also was “apologetic” for columns he wrote in the early 2000s criticizing coed sports and saying that only attractive women should be allowed to be referees or sports reporters.

In another interview, Mr. Moore said his past statements shouldn’t disqualify him from the Fed and argued that he is undergoing “character assassination” similar to what Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh endured during his confirmation process last year.

“I’m not saying I’m an angel, but I’m just saying that these kinds of things don’t have a lot to do with whether I’m qualified to be on the Federal Reserve Board and setting interest rates,” Mr. Moore said to “The Cats Roundtable with John Catsimatidis.”

Mr. Moore is a columnist for The Washington Times.

Another Trump pick, former pizza Herman Cain, asked to remove his name from consideration in March after lackluster support from Republican senators. He cited the job being a significant pay cut from his pundit gigs as the main reason for his departure.

• Dave Boyer contributed to this article.