Legal filings detailing how Stephen Moore, Donald Trump’s pick for a Federal Reserve board seat, was found in contempt of court have been hidden from the public following a report by the Guardian.

The entire file on Moore’s divorce was sealed by a court order on Monday in response to a request from Moore’s ex-wife, according to a clerk at Fairfax county circuit court in Virginia. CNBC first reported the file had been sealed.

The Guardian disclosed on Saturday that Moore was found in contempt of court in November 2012 for failing to pay his ex-wife more than $300,000 in alimony, child support and debts from their 2011 divorce settlement.

Documents from the file were copied by a Guardian reporter last week at the courthouse before the request to seal was made. The Guardian made the documents public on Monday.

Trump has been criticised for picking Moore, an economics commentator who has worked for several conservative thinktanks and formerly wrote for the Wall Street Journal, to join the Federal Reserve’s board of governors. If Moore is formally nominated he must be confirmed by the US Senate.

Greg Mankiw, an economics professor at Harvard who was a senior economic adviser to the former president George W Bush, has said Moore “does not have the intellectual gravitas” for the job and urged senators to reject the nomination.

After being found in contempt, Moore continued failing to pay, according to the court filings. This prompted the judge to order the sale of his house to satisfy the debt in 2013. But this process was halted by his ex-wife after Moore paid her about two-thirds of what he owed, a filing said.

Moore, now 59, was also accused in the divorce complaint of inflicting “emotional and psychological abuse” on his ex-wife during their 20-year marriage and having affairs. The couple have three children together. Moore has since remarried.

In a signed response from April 2011, Moore said that he “admits all allegations” in his ex-wife’s divorce complaint. Moore declined to comment last week when asked about the allegations.

Moore told CNBC that the report on the legal dispute reinforced how “sleazy the media is resorting to tabloid journalism”. He said he did not expect the report to derail his nomination.

Moore and his ex-wife, Allison, released statements through a spokeswoman on Monday.

Moore said: “Allison Moore and I were married for 19 years and have three wonderful sons whom we have co-parented. Our divorce was settled amicably many years ago and we remain on friendly terms to this day. She is a terrific mother and I hold her in the highest regard. Allison, our kids and my current wife would hope that the media would please respect our privacy. I am happy to speak to the media on any matters related to the economy or my views on the Fed.”

Allison Moore said: “Steve Moore and I reconciled through our divorce many years ago and we would hope the media would respect our privacy. We remain on cordial terms.”