President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch told a Democratic senator he found it “disheartening” and “demoralizing” when the president slammed federal judges over a court order that blocked his immigration ban.
Sen. Dick Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told reporters about Gorsuch’s comments after meeting privately Wednesday with Trump’ high court nominee, a veteran federal appellate court judge in Colorado.
And Ron Bonjean, a spokesman helping Gorsuch during the confirmation process, confirmed Blumenthal’s account of their conversation in an e-mail to Bloomberg, saying that Gorsuch indeed “used the words disheartening and demoralizing.”
“He certainly expressed to me that he is disheartened by demoralizing, abhorrent comments made by President Trump about the judiciary,” Blumenthal said at the Capitol.
“But I will be asking for more specific and forthcoming comments to those kinds of questions before I determine how I will vote.”
Trump on Feb. 4 criticized a federal judge who blocked his travel ban as a “so-called judge.”
On Wednesday, the president argued that his power to limit immigration shouldn’t be challenged in courts — and called a San Franciso’ appellate court’s Tuesday hearing on his ban “disgraceful.”
“The courts seem to be so political, and it would be so great for our justice system if they would be able to read a statement and do what’s right, and that has got to do with the security of our country, which is so important,” Trump told a gathering of police chiefs and sheriffs in Washington.
Blumenthal is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will conduct hearings on Gorsuch, who has been meeting with senators individually this week.
Blumenthal said he sat with Gorsuch for 40 minutes and had “reached no conclusion” about whether or not he would support him, The Hartford Courant reported.
A rep for the president did not immediately respond to a request for comment.