Top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Sunday weighed in on sexual harassment allegations against Herman Cain, whom President Trump plans to nominate to the Federal Reserve Board, saying accusations “don’t necessarily pan out.”
“We are going through a vetting process in the White House. I’m sure the Senate Banking Committee will do likewise,” Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked if the allegations against Cain trouble him.
{mosads}“There’s big disputes here. Mr. Cain disagrees with this point of view. I’m not going to litigate that here,” he added, confronting past allegations by four women that ended Cain’s 2012 presidential bid.
“We’ve seen, whether it’s Supreme Court justices or many other things, we’ve seen a lot of charges here,” he said, apparently referring to accusations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was confirmed after a contentious hearing process.
“They don’t necessarily pan out,” Kudlow added.
Kudlow also defended Cain’s qualifications on CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday.
“He is qualified. He was the chairman of the Kansas City Fed,” Kudlow said. “He knows a lot about the subject.”
Cain suspended his presidential campaign in 2011 after four women accused him of sexual harassment. Two of the women were employees of the National Restaurant Association and said the harassment happened while he served as the head of the trade group.
Another woman claimed she had a 13-year affair with Cain.
Cain has denied all of the claims.
Trump on Thursday called Cain an “outstanding person” but said his nomination had not yet been made official because he is undergoing a background check.
Cain said in a Facebook video over the weekend that he will face a “cumbersome” vetting process, adding that he will be forced to turn over numerous records from his career. He also said he’s unsure if he will pass the background check.
Zack Budryk contributed to this report, which was updated at 12:54 p.m.