WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump wants Republicans on Capitol Hill to sell his Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, as a “mainstream” judge who’s up for a nice day of fishing and hunting, according to White House talking points delivered to GOP lawmakers on Wednesday, a copy of which was obtained by The Huffington Post.
“Judge Gorsuch is a ‘mainstream judge’ who should be swiftly confirmed by the Senate,” reads one of the talking points. “The White House conducted extensive outreach to the Senate, and Judge Gorsuch is precisely the type of Judge that Senators from both parties have said they want: A judge who will follow the law as it is written, regardless of the outcome, and who will respect the Constitution.”
If a Republican lawmaker is pressed on a specific case that Gorsuch has ruled on ― he is currently a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ― the White House advises saying, “He is a ‘judge’s judge’ who follows the law as written, and has himself noted: ‘A judge who likes every result he reaches is very likely a bad judge.’”
On the personal side, Republicans should present Gorsuch as “a man of the West” and “an avid outdoorsman who enjoys fishing and hunting.”
Here is all of the White House guidance provided to GOP lawmakers:
