Stephen Moore withdraws as Fed board nominee

May 2 (UPI) -- Stephen Moore, President Donald Trump's nominee to the Federal Reserve board of governors, withdrew his name from consideration Thursday, the president announced.

The withdrawal comes six weeks after his nomination.

"Steve Moore, a great pro-growth economist and a truly fine person, has decided to withdraw from the Fed process. Steve won the battle of ideas including Tax Cuts ... and deregulation which have produced non-inflationary prosperity for all Americans," Trump said in a series of tweets.

"I've asked Steve to work with me toward future economic growth in our Country."

Trump offered no explanation for the withdrawal, but Moore has faced scrutiny in recent weeks for past statements he's made about women in the workplace, African Americans and women athletes.

Previously a member of the editorial board at The Wall Street Journal, Moore is the distinguished visiting fellow for Project for Economic Growth at The Heritage Foundation, according to the website for the conservative think tank. Moore was an adviser to Trump during his presidential campaign and founded Club for Growth, a conservative advocacy organization.

Thursday's withdrawal came less than two weeks after nominee Herman Cain also withdrew as a nominee to the Fed board.