Moore is only the latest victim of Trump's nomination process

A few hours after his withdrawal from his candidacy to the Federal Reserve Board, Stephen Moore said he was shocked by the fact that his critics had been interested in his divorce records and his decades-long chronicles.

"If I had the feeling that this would happen – people would look at my writings from 20 or 25 years ago – I would have told the president:" Wait a minute I can not confirm the Senate, "said Moore Fox Business Network on Thursday.

History continues below

But the White House probably should have seen it coming.

Previous administrations have historically spent weeks, if not months, identifying potentially damaging information about director candidates long before their appointments are announced. Yet Trump's White House again seemed to neglect the basic auditing process that has been the cornerstone of the appointment process for decades.

"What went wrong here is the verification process," admitted Moore in Thursday's interview.

Indeed, many members of the administration were unaware of some of Moore's earlier writings, according to a person familiar with the subject.

And Trump's team seemed to be slow to respond to Moore's growing problems. The White House, which has not responded to a request for comment on this article, announced this week that it was reviewing Moore's writings long after the latter began to face sharp criticism. for his extravagant statements about women. And as early as Thursday morning, Moore told reporters that the White House was still supporting his candidacy.

"It's just neglected," said a seasoned lawyer who helps clients follow the confirmation process.

The Trump administration's longstanding auditing issues have contributed to an increase in the number of unsuccessful candidates.

In total, Trump has removed 62 candidates since taking office, according to data provided to POLITICO by the Partnership for Public Service, a non-profit organization that tracks vacancies in the federal government. At this point in his presidency, Barack Obama had withdrawn 30 candidates. Figures include only those who have been officially appointed. Moore and others who have taken into consideration before their official documents are sent to the Senate do not count.

The Trump administration has struggled for years to properly control the nominees, going back to the presidential transitionwhen Trump filled his cabinet with friends and associates with little regard for the rigor of the traditional government recruitment process, according to transitional officials.

Less than a month after Trump took office, his first job secretary candidate, Andy Puzder, retired after facing a series of damaging revelations, including the fact that he had hired an undocumented domestic worker and was accused of being abused by his ex-wife. Later, his leadership candidate at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Ronny Jackson, withdrew following questions about Jackson's behavior as a White House doctor.

In the last three months alone, in addition to Moore Moore, two high-ranking candidates for the highest positions in the administration have withdrawn from the list of candidates. Asset ad Last month, he would not name Herman Cain, a former pizza industry executive, to the Fed despite opposition from some Senate Republicans. And in February, Heather Nauert she herself abducted to become an American ambassador to the United Nations after hearing that she had employed a nanny without proper work permission.

Current and former government officials insist that they have made progress in professionalizing the White House internal control operation. But they say the president himself sometimes undermines this process by making the important staffing decisions himself, with little consultation and without notice.

"He is impatient and impulsive," said a former senior white house official. "When he makes a decision, he wants to go ahead. There is no one around him who calls for caution. "

More than two years after taking office, Trump is surrounded by fewer former White House employees ready to discourage his inclinations. These days, the White House is steeped in the "let Trump be Trump" mentality, an approach led by Acting Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney.

"It's a steady march towards an unbridled president," said the former official. "We have now reached the extreme extreme of the spectrum in which the president decides something privately based on the recommendations of one or two people."

Bradley Moss, a lawyer representing clients looking for a job in the federal government, said that the chronic problems of getting confirmed nominees are "just the result of the president's personal disdain for selection and his preference for intuition ".

The news of Cain and Moore's impending appointments to the Fed has surprised many Senate Republicans. Trump announced his intention to call Cain during a Q & A with reporters following an event in the Oval Office. He revealed Moore's bid in response to a question on the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport. The unexpected announcements did not give White House officials time to inform lawmakers and get their reactions.

Instead, White House officials have often assumed that Trump's candidates would easily get the necessary support from Senate Republicans, especially since they only require a simple majority vote in the Senate. bedroom. But Senate Republicans have shown in recent weeks that they do not just want to give the go-ahead to all Trump's candidates.

In the meantime, the president is increasingly relying on acting officials to take on senior positions in the government. Trump said privately and publicly that he liked acting officials because they gave him more flexibility and they did not need to go through the Senate confirmation process. The Secretaries of Homeland Security and Defense – two crucial positions in charge of protecting the country – perform their duties ad interim.

Surveillance groups also remain alarmed by the large number of posts for which Trump has neglected to appoint anyone. In the State Department, more than 30 management positions are vacant. There are more than a dozen vacancies in the Justice and Defense Departments.

"Our government does not yet have full and effective staff at the highest levels," said Max Stier, who heads the Public Service Partnership, who advised Trump's transition team early on in its staffing. in personnel.

Lawyers representing potential candidates said that the number of qualified people wishing to join the administration has slowed down. And for those who are interested, the audit process can sometimes be confusing and unorganized, the lawyers said.

"We had a client who thought he was ready, then at the last minute, they said," No, we will delay everything, "said one of the lawyers. had no idea even who to call to find out what was going on. "

People close to the White House, however, said the president was facing bigger problems than the neglected vault, adding that many people from the west wing were not bothered by the recent round of talks. withdrawals.

"Compared to everything Trump processes, this material is barely registered," said a former administration official. "Will someone remember Steve Moore in three months?"

Burgess Everett contributed to this story.