On Wednesday, news broke that Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s choice to fill an open U.S. Supreme Court seat, criticized the president during a meeting with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
Gorsuch told Blumenthal that he finds Trump’s attacks on the judiciary “demoralizing” and “disheartening.” In the wake of federal judge James Robart ordering a temporary halt to Trump’s Muslim ban last Friday, Trump called Robart a “so-called judge” and said that if a terrorist attack happens in the U.S., Robart “and the court system” is to blame.
Blumenthal told the press about Gorsuch’s criticism of Trump. The senator’s account of the conversation was later confirmed by a spokesperson for the judge.
Spokesman for Neil Gorsuch, Supreme Court nominee, confirms he called Trump's comments on federal judge "demoralizing" and "disheartening."
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) February 8, 2017
But on Thursday morning, Trump asserted that Blumenthal “misrepresented” what Gorsuch told him.
Sen.Richard Blumenthal, who never fought in Vietnam when he said for years he had (major lie),now misrepresents what Judge Gorsuch told him?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
(In 2010, Blumenthal admitted to exaggerating his military record. Trump, meanwhile, was granted five deferments.)
Later Thursday morning, Trump opined that since CNN host Chris Cuomo didn’t ask Blumenthal about his military exaggeration during an interview where the senator restated Gorsuch’s criticism of the president, the whole thing was “fake news.”
Chris Cuomo, in his interview with Sen. Blumenthal, never asked him about his long-term lie about his brave "service" in Vietnam. FAKE NEWS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
In fact, Blumenthal’s military record was the very first thing Cuomo brought up.
"The President … is once again off on the facts": @ChrisCuomo's response to @realDonaldTrump's tweet about him https://t.co/ckWo75HT8L
— CNN (@CNN) February 9, 2017
During the CNN interview, Blumenthal went on to say, “I absolutely accurately stated what Judge Gorsuch said to me as confirmed by his own spokesman, colleagues.”
Republican Sen. Ben Sasse (NE) quickly confirmed that Gorsuch criticized Trump during their conversation as well.
"Any attack on brothers or sisters of the robe is an attack on all judges," @BenSasse says Gorsuch told him about judicial attacks.
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) February 9, 2017
Even former Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte (NH), who is now leading a team that arranges Gorsuch’s interviews with senators on behalf of the Trump administration, released a statement confirming that Gorsuch “finds any criticism of a judge’s integrity and independent disheartening and demoralizing” — though she stopped short of saying Gorsuch criticized Trump specifically.
UPDATE (2/9, 1:30 p.m.): During remarks he made at a lunch with a bipartisan group of senators, Trump again accused Blumenthal of making misleading statements about his conversation with Judge Gorsuch.
The president also suggested that because Blumenthal once exaggerated his Vietnam military service, he has no credibility.
“[Gorsuch’s] comments were misrepresented,” Trump said. “And what you should do is ask Sen. Blumenthal about his Vietnam record that didn’t exist after years of saying it did. So, ask Sen. Blumenthal about his Vietnam record. He misrepresents that just like he misrepresented Judge Gorsuch.”
Trump, moments ago, said Blumenthal “misrepresented” Gorsuch's comments on Trump's judiciary attacks. (Gorsuch spox confirmed the comments.) pic.twitter.com/X7MprYxchJ
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 9, 2017
As the Washington Post reported when the controversy was in the news in May 2010, “Blumenthal joined the Marine Corps Reserves in 1970 and served six years, all in the United States. He has accurately described his service many times in his career, but in 2008, he told an audience at an event in Norwalk: ‘We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam. And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it — Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.’”
During a news conference, Blumenthal said he meant to say he served “during” Vietnam, not “in” Vietnam, and added: “I regret that and I take full responsibility.”
In 1997, Trump, who received numerous military deferments due to bone spurs, said the risk he ran of conducting sexually transmitted diseases during his younger years was his own “personal Vietnam.”
“I’ve been so lucky in terms of that whole world. It is a dangerous world out there. It’s scary, like Vietnam. Sort of like the Vietnam-era,” Trump said during an interview with Howard Stern. “It is my personal Vietnam. I feel like a great and very brave soldier.”