Report: Donald Trump Considered Rescinding Gorsuch SCOTUS Nomination

Donald Trump

As most politically-minded Americans know, the only actual consequential thing Donald Trump has actually done in the past 11 months is have his Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, confirmed to the high court.

But The Washington Post is reporting Trump considered rescinding Gorsuch's nomination after the judge told Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) in a private meeting that he found Trump’s repeated attacks on the federal judiciary “disheartening” and “demoralizing.”

The president worried that Gorsuch would not be “loyal,” one of the people said, and told aides that he was tempted to pull Gorsuch’s nomination — and that he knew plenty of other judges who would want the job.

This account is based on interviews with 11 people familiar with the episode, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

Trump was especially upset by what he viewed as Gorsuch’s insufficient gratitude for a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court, White House officials said. The judge sent the president a handwritten letter dated March 2, thanking him for the nomination and explaining how grateful he was, according to a copy obtained by The Post.

Aides said Trump did not immediately receive the note, but it was retrieved by legislative affairs director Marc Short and then viewed by Trump on March 10, helping ease his concerns.

Trump was, predictably, defensive and denied the report:

A story in the @washingtonpost that I was close to “rescinding” the nomination of Justice Gorsuch prior to confirmation is FAKE NEWS. I never even wavered and am very proud of him and the job he is doing as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The unnamed sources don’t exist!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2017

Coming from the man who has told 1700+ lies since January

— IR.net (@IRdotnet) December 19, 2017