NEIL: ALL RIGHT.
BREAKING NEWS FOR YOU.
STEPHEN MOORE HAS WITHDRAWN HIS
NAME FROM CONSIDERATION TO FILL
A VACANT FEDERAL RESERVE POST.
THIS FOLLOWS ON THE HEELS OF
HERMAN CAIN DOING THE SAME.
SO TWO PRIME CANDIDATES THE
PRESIDENT THOUGHT COULD SERVE
SORT OF AS BULLS IN A CHINA SHOP
CALLED THE FEDERAL RESERVE ARE
OUT.
THE PRESIDENT AMONG OTHER THINGS
TWEETING OUT THAT STEVE MOORE, A
GREAT PRO-GROWTH ECONOMIST,
TRULY FINE PERSON HAS DECIDED TO
WITHDRAW FROM THE FED PROCESS.
STEVE WON THE BATTLE OF IDEAS
INCLUDING TAX CUTS,
DEREGULATION, WHICH PRODUCE
PROSPERITY FOR ALL AMERICANS.
I ASKED STEVE TO WORK WITH ME
TOWARDS FUTURE ECONOMIC GROWTH
IN OUR COUNTRY.
THIS FAST-CHANGING DEVELOPMENT
HERE, MANY SAY WELL-EXPECTED.
BLAKE BURMAN WITH MORE FROM THE
WHITE HOUSE.
REPORTER: FAST IS RIGHT, EARLIER
TODAY ON THE NORTH LAWN ON THE
WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
SARAH SANDERS WAS ASKED ABOUT
THE STATUS OF STEVE MOORE, SHE
BASICALLY SAID NOTHING HAD
CHANGED.
MOORE HIMSELF THIS MORNING
ACCORDING TO BLOOM PER WAS THERE
HAVING A BREAKFAST WITH SOME
REPORTERS THERE SAYING THIS
MORNING HE WAS ALL-IN, THAT THE
WHITE HOUSE WAS ALL-IN.
THAT WAS JUST A FEW HOURS AGO.
YOU JUST READ THE TWEET FROM
PRESIDENT TRUMP, JUST A FEW
MOMENTS AGO IN WHICH THE
PRESIDENT SAYS THAT STEVE MOORE
IS NO LONGER UNDER CONSIDERATION
TO JOIN THE FEDERAL RESERVE
BOARD OF GOVERNORS.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE STEVE MOORE
HAD NOT BEEN OFFICIALLY
NOMINATED.
THAT IS BECAUSE HE WAS GOING
THROUGH THE BACKGROUND CHECK AND
IN THAT PROCESS THERE HAD BEEN
SEVERAL QUESTIONS RAISED, I
SHOULDN'T SAY IN THE PROCESS,
WHILE THIS HAD BEEN A WAITING
ITSELF TO SAY WHETHER OR NOT
MOORE WOULD BE NOMINATED SEVERAL
QUESTIONS WERE RAISED INCLUDING
ABOUT A POTENTIAL LIEN ON HIS
HOUSE.
THERE HAD BEEN SOME COMMENTS,
VERY CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS
MOORE SAID IN THE PAST.
ALSO IN RECENT DAYS AS IT
RELATES TO WOMEN.
THERE WERE QUESTIONS AS TO
WHETHER OR NOT HE COULD MAKE IT
THROUGH THE PROCESS UP ON
CAPITOL HILL.
JUST A COUPLE DAYS AGO SENATOR
JONI ERNST OF IOWA, A REPUBLICAN
CAME OUT, SAID IT IS VERY
UNLIKELY SHE WOULD BE ABLE TO
VOTE FOR STEVE MOORE.
AS THIS STARTED TO GO ON, NEIL
IT, GOT TO THE POINT WHERE IT
ALMOST SEEMED INEVITABLE, MOORE
WOULD NOT HAVE THE REPORT, THE
SUPPORT RATHER, FROM REPUBLICANS
UP ON CAPITOL HILL.
REMEMBER THE BASIC MATH HERE
WITH NO DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT, IF
FOUR REPUBLICANS WERE TO SAY NO,
THAT WAS IT.
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO
HERMAN CAIN WHOSE NAME WAS PUT
OUT THERE BY PRESIDENT TRUMP.
WAS GOING THROUGH THE BACKGROUND
CHECK.
NEVER INITIALLY NOMINATED TOOK
HIS NAME OUT.
NOW YOU CAN ADD STEVE MOORE TO
THAT LIST AS WELL.
SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
WHERE DOES THE WHITE HOUSE GO
FROM HERE?
THERE ARE TWO OPEN SEATS FOR TWO
PEOPLE TO JOIN THE FEDERAL
RESERVE BOARD OF GOVERNORS.
THE PRESIDENT THOUGHT HE HAD
THIS ONE WRAPPED UP WITH STEVE
MOORE, A CLOSE CONFIDANTE OF
LARRY KUDLOW AND SOMEONE WHO
HELPED THE PRESIDENT DELIVER HIS
TAX REFORM IDEAS DURING THE
CAMPAIGN.
THEN HERMAN CAIN, SOMEONE WHO
THE PRESIDENT THINKS ALIKE WITH
POLITICALLY AS WELL BUT NOW
THOSE TWO SEATS ARE OPEN, IT
COULD TAKE QUITE SOME TIME TO
FILL THEM.
NEIL?
NEIL: REAL QUICKLY, BLAKE, I
REMEMBER MITCH McCONNELL SAID
ABOUT THE VETTING PROCESS FOR
THESE TWO GENTLEMAN, I THINK
REFERRING TO HERMAN CAIN AND
STEVE MOORE IT, HAS TO BE MORE
THOROUGH.
THEY JUST CANNOT BE DUMPED ON
THE SENATE, OVERTRIVIALIZING AND
PARAPHRASING WHAT HE IS WAS
SAYING, QUESTION WAS DO YOUR
HOMEWORK F WE HAVE GRENADES HERE
WE BEST BE PREPARED FOR THEM.
REPORTER: REMEMBER THE TIMELINE
HERE.
IT WAS HERMAN CAIN WAS ABOUT TO
BE PUT UP BY THE PRESIDENT
FIRST.
THERE WERE THE PAST ALLEGATIONS
THAT HAD HAUNTED HIM DURING THE
2012 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN OF
ALLEGED SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.
THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT
WHETHER OR NOT HE WAS PARTISAN
FOR AN INDEPENDENT JOB LIKE THE
FEDERAL RESERVE.
THAT WAS KIND OF THE WARNING.
THEN STEVE MOORE WAS PUT UP.
YOU ADD THIS, NEGATIVE STORY
AFTER NEGATIVE STORY AFTER
NEGATIVE STORY, LOTS OF REAL
QUESTIONS WITH THEM, NEIL.
AND NOW YOU GOT TO WONDER, GOING
FORWARD, WHETHER OR NOT THIS
WHITE HOUSE WILL PUT FORTH
POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR THE
FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD OF
GOVERNORS THAT MIGHT BE CLOSE TO
THEM BUT MAYBE UNVETTED OR FOLKS
WHO ARE GOING TO GET A VERY,
VERY, VERY CAREFUL LOOK BEFORE
EVEN NAMES ARE LEAKED OR PUT
FORWARD.