Sen. Blumenthal Criticizes Federal Judges for Dodging 2020 Election Results on 'Morning Joe'

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal appeared on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ this week to criticize federal judiciary nominees aligned with former President Donald Trump. Blumenthal accused the nominees of refusing to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.

“What these answers demonstrated to me was a fear of Donald Trump that would absolutely indicate their lack of independence,” Blumenthal told viewers. “We tend to forget, amidst all of the chaos and confusion in the Trump administration, what he is doing to the federal judiciary, which is really a bulwark for our freedom. It’s proved to be a kind of firewall, not always, but at least at the district court level, a guarantee of certain rights and liberties.”

Blumenthal emphasized the importance of judicial independence, stating: “Here we have a whole generation of federal judges without that sense of independence and impartiality. For most people, the federal district judge sitting in their state, whether it’s Tennessee or Connecticut, is the face and voice of justice.”

The senator highlighted that the nominees provided rehearsed responses, refusing to directly confirm Biden’s victory. During a Federal Judiciary Committee hearing last week, Blumenthal asked multiple nominees who won the 2020 election. Nearly all replied that Biden had been “certified the winner.”

“Morning Joe” co-host Jonathan Lemire played a clip of the exchange, where Blumenthal pressed the nominees on the issue.

Blumenthal also revealed an awkward moment involving Senator Chuck Grassley, chair of the Federal Judiciary Committee. Grassley, caught on an un-muted microphone, reportedly asked a staff member, “Why can’t these people just say Joe Biden won the election?”

Trump’s Influence Over Judicial Nominees

Blumenthal attributed the nominees’ evasive answers to Trump’s influence. “It’s because of the vengeance and vanity of Donald Trump,” he said. “Maybe there is some kind of game plan here. But I think they have been just rehearsed to give that stock answer. I think it makes them look pathetic and ridiculous in front of their own family to be put on the spot and fail to show some independence.”