TRUMP’S REMARKS ‘DEMORALISING’
washington — Donald Trump’s nominee for the US Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, on Wednesday described the president’s Twitter attacks on the judiciary as “disheartening and demoralising,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said.
Gorsuch spokesman Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist hired by the White House to help guide the judge’s nomination through the US Senate, confirmed that Gorsuch used those words when he met Blumenthal.
Trump took to Twitter over the weekend to condemn the Friday order by Judge James Robart that placed on hold the president’s January 27 temporary travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries and on all refugees.
The administration appealed that ruling to a three-judge federal appeals panel, which is due to decide the issue this week.
Trump, who took office on January 20, referred to Robart as a “so-called judge” and said his “ridiculous” opinion “essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country.”
In an interview with CNN, Blumenthal said he told Gorsuch that he found Trump’s attacks on the judiciary unacceptable and asked the judge to condemn them.
“After some back and forth, he did say that he found them to be disheartening and demoralising,” said Blumenthal, who is a member of the Judiciary Committee, which will hold a confirmation hearing on Gorsuch’s nomination.
He said Gorsuch was “non-committal” about publicly criticising the attacks, “and that’s one reason why I remain deeply concerned about this nomination.” US presidents are usually hesitant to weigh in on judicial matters out of respect for a US Constitution clause ensuring a separation of powers between the executive branch, Congress and the judiciary.
Trump nominated Gorsuch on January 31 to succeed Justice Antonin Scalia on the nine-member court. Scalia died a year ago this month. “As the nominee of a President who has viciously attacked the independence of the judiciary and declared multiple litmus tests for justices, Judge Gorsuch has a special responsibility to reassure the American people that he will be an open-minded and independent jurist,” Blumenthal said in a statement earlier. —
Gorsuch was noncommittal about publicly criticising the attacks, that’s one reason why I remain concerned about this nomination.