Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) broke ranks with his fellow Republicans and voted against one of President Trump’s judicial picks Tuesday. He made the move because of past controversial comments the judge made about former President Obama.
Romney, who battled against Obama in the 2012 presidential race, cast the lone GOP no vote against Judge Michael Truncale. The judge was ultimately confirmed to the Eastern District of Texas by a 49-46 margin.
Truncale created a national stir in 2011 when he called Obama an “un-American imposter.” The judge later told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he was “merely expressing frustration by what I perceived as a lack of overt patriotism on behalf of President Obama.” He added that he did not subscribe to “birtherism.”
In spite of Truncale’s defense, Romney found enough fault with the original remark to vote against his nomination.
“He made particularly disparaging comments about President Obama. And as the Republican nominee for president, I just couldn’t subscribe to that in a federal judge,” Romney told Politico in a brief interview.
“This was not a matter of qualifications or politics. This was something specifically to that issue as a former nominee of our party,” he added.
Romney has now become one of the few GOP critics of Trump, often lashing out at the president over his rhetoric. He most recently went against the White House by opposing its plans to nominate Herman Cain to the Federal Reserve Board.
Romney votes in sync with the president more often than not, but he is more likely to oppose the White House than most other Republican senators, according to a tally compiled by FiveThirtyEight.
What do you think about the way Senator Romney is taking a stand against the president? How do you think Trump is going to react to the latest move? We look forward to seeing your comments.
Credit: Red Blue Divide
