Stephen Moore’s unpaid taxes are the latest example of Trump failing to vet high-profile nominees

President Donald Trump’s controversial pick to fill an open seat on the Federal Reserve Board, Heritage Foundation fellow Stephen Moore, reportedly owes more than $75,000 in taxes and penalties to the US government.

After the Guardian first broke news of the tax lien against Moore in Montgomery County, Maryland, his wife, Anne Carey, told Bloomberg the unpaid sum stemmed from a mistake Moore made when filing his 2014 taxes. Carey said “it was not an attempt at defrauding the US government” and added that she and Moore were working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

Be that as it may, the news is the latest illustration of how Trump — who promised he’d “surround myself only with the best and most serious people” during his campaign — isn’t living up to that ideal in office.

When Trump announced Moore’s nomination to the Fed last week, Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs reported that a shockingly small amount of deliberation went into the choice. Trump reportedly decided on Moore after his chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow showed him over lunch an op-ed Moore co-wrote for the Wall Street Journal that argues the Reserve’s policies are hurting economic growth — a position that accords with Trump’s belief that the Fed’s gradual interest rate hikes are to blame for tamping down economic growth.

Moore’s case rested on a false premise about deflation: He inaccurately claimed the economy is experiencing it, and recommended interest rate cuts as a way to address the fake problem. But Trump was reportedly so impressed with the piece that he ended up calling Moore and asking him if he’d be interested in a position on the board responsible for determining US monetary policy.

As Vox detailed last week, critics say that Moore — who as a CNN contributor established a reputation for defending Trump on any and all topics — is a staunch partisan who is unqualified to serve on the Fed. Though some Republicans have already expressed support for his nomination, his prospects of being confirmed in the Senate are uncertain.

More bad news about Moore breaking just days after his nomination isn’t likely to help his case. The chain of events is reminiscent of what happened about a year ago with Ronny Jackson, Trump’s former White House physician and onetime choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Shortly after Trump announced Jackson as his pick to lead the VA, reports emerged about him drinking on the job and mistreating staff. Jackson’s nomination was eventually pulled. More recently, in February, Trump’s pick for UN ambassador, Heather Nauert, withdrew from consideration for the job amid reports she employed a nanny who was in the country legally but didn’t have a proper work permit.

In both instances, embarrassing news cycles could’ve been avoided had the Trump administration done a better job vetting people before nominating them to high-profile positions.

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