By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave a comment 0comments Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/senate-confirms-trump-judicial-pick-who-disparaged-obama Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Senate confirms Trump judicial pick who disparaged Obama Politics May 14, 2019 5:43 PM EST WASHINGTON — The Senate has confirmed a new federal judge in Eastern Texas, despite comments he made disparaging former President Barack Obama. Lawyer Michael Truncale was confirmed, 49-46, on Tuesday. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote against President Donald Trump’s nominee. Romney said in a statement that his “no” vote was not a matter of qualifications or politics, but because of Truncale’s 2011 comments in which he called Obama an “un-American imposter.” Romney, who lost to Obama in the 2012 presidential race, called the comments “particularly disparaging” and said that “as the (former) Republican nominee for president, I just couldn’t subscribe to that in a federal judge.” Truncale told the Senate Judiciary Committee he was “merely expressing frustration” at what he perceived as Obama’s lack of overt patriotism. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Associated Press Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Senate has confirmed a new federal judge in Eastern Texas, despite comments he made disparaging former President Barack Obama. Lawyer Michael Truncale was confirmed, 49-46, on Tuesday. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote against President Donald Trump’s nominee. Romney said in a statement that his “no” vote was not a matter of qualifications or politics, but because of Truncale’s 2011 comments in which he called Obama an “un-American imposter.” Romney, who lost to Obama in the 2012 presidential race, called the comments “particularly disparaging” and said that “as the (former) Republican nominee for president, I just couldn’t subscribe to that in a federal judge.” Truncale told the Senate Judiciary Committee he was “merely expressing frustration” at what he perceived as Obama’s lack of overt patriotism. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now