The White House on Tuesday defended the president’s judicial selection process after three of his district court nominees had to be withdrawn in less than a week.
Matthew Petersen pulled his name from contention Monday for a lifetime position on the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, saying he had become “a distraction” after he bungled his hearing and a video of the grilling went viral online.
And late last week, the White House said it had decided not to move forward on Jeff Mateer, who said transgender children were part of “Satan’s plan,” and Brett Talley, who didn’t disclose a potential conflict of interest with his wife working as chief of staff for White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn II and who appeared to blog in defense of the Ku Klux Klan.
“Every administration has individuals that don’t go all the way through the process. We have had 60 nominees and only three that haven’t gone through that process,” said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House press secretary.
Mrs. Sanders defended the president’s vetting of his judicial nominees by touting the historic pace, having 22 nominees confirmed in his first 11 months.
She also said the White House will fill Mr. Petersen’s position with a strong and qualified candidate.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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