Trump denies judge made comments
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump insisted Thursday that comments by his Supreme Court nominee criticizing his attacks on the judiciary were “misrepresented,” even as Republican and Democratic lawmakers vouched for the veracity of the remarks.
Trump’s comments prompted a rebuke from Judge Neil Gorsuch, who said at a meeting with lawmakers that the president’s comments were “demoralizing and disheartening.”
Gorsuch, who was nominated by Trump last week to the nation’s highest court, made the comments in meetings with senators after Trump accused an appellate court considering his immigration and refugee executive order of being “so political.” Over the weekend, the president labelled a judge who ruled on his executive order a “socalled judge” and referred to the ruling as “ridiculous.”
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut first relayed Gorsuch’s remarks on Wednesday following a meeting with the judge. Trump’s own confirmation team for Gorsuch later confirmed he had made those remarks.
But Trump suggested that Blumenthal had misrepresented Gorsuch, tweeting early Thursday, “Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who never fought in Vietnam when he said for years he had (major lie), now misrepresents what Judge Gorsuch told him?”
Blumenthal, who served in the Marine Corps Reserves during Vietnam, apologized in 2010 for say- ing he had served in Vietnam.
Blumenthal argued Thursday that Gorsuch would need to go further to publicly condemn Trump’s attacks on judicial independence.
“He needs to condemn Donald Trump’s attacks publicly and it needs to be much stronger, more explicit and direct than has been done so far,” Blumenthal said. “Unless it is done publicly in a clear condemnation, it will not establish his independence.”
Lawmakers from both parties vouched for the veracity of the remarks. GOP former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who is helping with Gorsuch’s confirmation and was at the meeting, issued a statement saying Gorsuch made clear he was not referring to any specific case. But she said the nominee said he finds any criticism of a judge’s integrity and independence to be “disheartening and demoralizing.”