Ernst says she’s ‘very unlikely’ to support Moore

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said Tuesday afternoon that Stephen Moore would likely be rejected by the Senate if President Trump nominated him to the Federal Reserve Board.

Ernst told reporters she is “very unlikely” to support Moore if he is nominated to the post, adding that several other GOP senators shared her concerns about his potential appointment.

When asked if Moore would be confirmed by the Senate if the chamber were to vote on his nomination on Tuesday, Ernst said, “I don’t think so.”{mosads}

Ernst’s comments come a day after the Republican senator said she was “unenthused” by Moore’s potential nomination and criticized him for “ridiculous” past statements about women.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally, also said Tuesday that Moore’s nomination would be “very problematic” but did not rule out supporting him.

Moore has faced severe backlash for columns he wrote in the early 2000s criticizing the inclusion of women in sports.

“Here’s the rule change I propose: No more women refs, no women announcers, no women beer venders, no women anything,” Moore wrote in a National Review Online column in March 2002 that was unearthed last week by CNN’s KFile.

Moore has since apologized for that column and said it was meant to be a spoof.

Trump and his top aides have defended Moore, saying they will continue to support him while reviewing his writings.

Moore has also been bashed for expressing concerns about women earning more than men, arguing that a female breadwinner would be “disruptive” to a household. He defended his comments in a Tuesday interview with CNBC, saying “the biggest problem I see in the economy over the last 25 years” is the decline in male earnings.

“I want everybody’s wages to rise, of course. People are talking about women’s earnings. They’ve risen,” Moore said on CNBC. 

Ernst is among several Republican women to voice issues with Moore’s comments and nomination.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said Tuesday that Moore’s comments about women “are hard to look past,” and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said she would grill Moore about his writings if he’s nominated.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said that while she had “concerns” about Moore’s commentary, the debate on his record is “premature” since he has not been officially nominated yet.

– Jordain Carney and Al Weaver contributed