White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Sunday defended President Donald Trump’s plans to nominate Herman Cain for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board, despite sexual misconduct allegations made against the former pizza chain magnate several years ago.
“I’m not going to litigate it. Lord knows in this town... It’s very toxic... We’ve seen a lot of charges here,” Kudlow said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” referencing allegations made last year against Brett Kavanaugh before the jurist won confirmation to the Supreme Court.
Kudlow added that various allegations “don’t necessarily pan out.”
Cain, a former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and also served on the board Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, dropped out of the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination after he was accused of sexual harassment and adultery by four women during his time at the helm of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s.
Cain called the allegations “false” at the time, and said his family had paid a “painful price” because of them.
Sharon Bialek, who accused Cain of reaching beneath her skirt in 1997 and trying to pull her head toward his crotch, is among those objecting to his prospective nomination to the Fed. She said that given Cain’s behavior toward women, he should not be given a powerful position that helps guide the country’s monetary policy
“Instead of being punished, Trump is rewarding him,” Bialek told The Washington Post last week.
In a video posted to his Facebook page over the weekend, Cain acknowledged that the Senate confirmation process could be a rough one for him. He added that he might face a “more cumbersome” background check.
“It’s an honor to be considered, whether or not I will make it through this process ― time will tell,” Cain said. ” Would I be disappointed if I don’t make it through this process? No. Would I be thrilled and honored if I make it through this process? Yes.”