Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told reporters Wednesday that President Trump's jabs at the judiciary system have unsettled his Supreme Court nominee, CNN's Ashley Killough reported. Neil Gorsuch, the federal appeals court judge from Colorado who Trump chose last week to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the late Justice Antonin Scalia, told Blumenthal he found Trump's disparaging remarks about the courts to be "demoralizing" and "disheartening."
A spokesperson for Gorsuch confirmed the judge made those comments. Most recently, Trump slammed the courts for being "so political" during a speech at the National Sheriffs' Association on Wednesday morning, the day after federal appeals court judges heard arguments from the Justice Department defending the constitutionality of Trump's immigration executive order. The order, which a judge suspended last week, temporarily blocks people from seven predominantly Muslim nations from entering the U.S.
Prior to that, Trump on Saturday criticized the "so-called judge" who made the "ridiculous" ruling to put his ban on hold, referring to U.S. District Judge James L. Robart, an appointee of former President George W. Bush. Last year, Trump claimed U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was born in Indiana, would not be able to rule fairly over a lawsuit involving one of Trump's businesses because of his Mexican heritage.
Blumenthal said he has not yet decided whether he will support Gorsuch's nomination, as he still has "serious and deep concerns."