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Supreme Court nominee: Criticism of judges – including Trump’s – ‘disheartening’

Posted at 6:53 PM, Mar 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-21 18:53:18-04

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch criticized Tuesday of President Donald Trump’s attacks on the federal judge who blocked his administration’s travel ban, saying for the first time publicly that he found them “disheartening” and “demoralizing.”

Gorsuch previously made those comments in private conversations with senators, but Tuesday marked the first time he went on the record with his disapproval of the president’s rhetoric when he called US District Judge James L. Robart a “so-called judge.”

“When anyone criticizes the honesty, integrity, the motives of a federal judge, I find that disheartening, I find that demoralizing, because I know the truth,” he said during his Senate confirmation hearing, in response to a question about the tweets from Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

Asked by Democratic Blumenthal if that “anyone” included the President.

“Anyone is anyone,” Gorsuch said.