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
Trump was especially upset by what he viewed as Gorsuch's lack of gratitude for a Supreme Court seat. BUT Gorsuch had actually handwritten him a letter of thanks. https://t.co/2LcKg4pBF1 pic.twitter.com/YDIXXkdmCC
— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) December 19, 2017
Chroist Jaysus, these Repubs. Actual Washington Post headline, in case you think I’m exaggerating: “Trump talked about rescinding Gorsuch’s nomination”:
For nearly eight months, President Trump has boasted that appointing Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court ranks high among his signature achievements.
But earlier this year, Trump talked about rescinding Gorsuch’s nomination, venting angrily to advisers after his Supreme Court pick was critical of the president’s escalating attacks on the federal judiciary in private meetings with legislators…
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…
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.
“Your address to Congress was magnificent,” Gorsuch wrote. “And you were so kind to recognize Mrs. Scalia, remember the justice, and mention me. My teenage daughters were cheering the TV!”
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…
The incident that so angered Trump came shortly after a federal judge had issued a nationwide stop to the president’s travel ban targeting a list of majority-Muslim countries. At the time, the president disparaged the “so-called judge” on Twitter, writing that the ruling “put our country in such peril.”…
Gorsuch, meanwhile, was moving through the confirmation process, doing rounds of courtesy meetings with senators on Capitol Hill — including the one with Blumenthal, which quickly became news after the senator shared their private discussion with reporters.
“I told him how abhorrent Donald Trump’s invective and insults are toward the judiciary,” Blumenthal told The Post in an interview. “And he said to me that he found them ‘disheartening’ and ‘demoralizing’ — his words.”
The remarks angered the president, who attacked Blumenthal on Twitter, saying the senator misrepresented Gorsuch’s comments. But at the time, at least, he also felt that Gorsuch himself was being disloyal.
In a meeting with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Trump attacked the judge in sharp terms, surprising his fellow Republicans.
McConnell was so concerned that he made a point of repeatedly telling Trump to stay the course on Gorsuch — and that he would make sure the judge made it through the confirmation process with as few hiccups as possible.…
Expecting “loyalty” from a Supreme Court Justice is about as perverse a misunderstanding of the institution as you can imagine and also totally unsurprising from Trump. https://t.co/J6G141AVcK
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) December 19, 2017
A reminder that there is not a thing this president does that is motivated by civic concern, a theory of government, or anything but himself. https://t.co/ZvmgzoG95D
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) December 19, 2017
Looking for the pony in the manure pile…
I mean, think how many dumb ideas the president has that we never learn about.
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) December 19, 2017