Neil Gorsuch, nominee for the Supreme Court, meets with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

President Trump's own Supreme Court nominee rebuked him Wednesday, calling his comments attacking judges and the judicial system “disheartening” and “demoralizing.” So it's no surprise Trump would hit back at Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) for passing along Gorsuch's comments on the matter.

But Trump's complaint simply doesn't make much sense.

 

First and foremost, one very significant person hasn't quibbled with Blumenthal's comments: Gorsuch himself. And in fact, Gorsuch's spokesman confirmed he said “disheartening” and “demoralizing.”

And secondly, there is little in Blumenthal's quotes for Trump to take issue with, beyond those two words. Blumenthal simply didn't say much else. A lawyer by trade, he seemed careful not to, in fact.

It's completely unclear what Trump thinks was “misrepresented.” I've reached out to Gorsuch's spokesman, Ron Bonjean, to see if they think Blumenthal got anything wrong. But in the 16-ish hours since Blumenthal came forward, there have been no complaints.

Here's how Blumenthal's comments were reported in The Washington Post:

Blumenthal said Gorsuch, whom Trump nominated to the Supreme Court just over a week ago, agreed with him that the president’s language was out of line.

“I told him how abhorrent Donald Trump’s invective and insults are toward the judiciary. And he said to me that he found them ‘disheartening’ and ‘demoralizing’ — his words,” Blumenthal said in an interview.

Gorsuch “stated very emotionally and strongly his belief in his fellow judges’ integrity and the principle of judicial independence,” he added. “And I made clear to him that that belief requires him to be stronger and more explicit, more public in his views.”

And here's CNN, which first reported Blumenthal's version:

“He said very specifically that they were demoralizing and disheartening and he characterized them very specifically that way,” Blumenthal said of Gorsuch. “I said they were more than disheartening and I said to him that he has an obligation to make his views clear to the American people, so they understand how abhorrent or unacceptable President Trump's attacks on the judiciary are.”

Ron Bonjean, who is leading communications for Gorsuch during the confirmation process, confirmed Gorsuch called Trump's tweet about the “so-called judge” “disheartening” and “demoralizing” in his conversation with Blumenthal.

...

Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he brought up examples of Trump's recent rhetoric, including the tweets and the President's criticism of the federal court Wednesday morning before law enforcement officials.

That's when Gorsuch expressed disappointment in Trump's comments, Blumenthal said. “He didn't disagree with me on that point.”

“I said to him if a litigant before your court — and the president of the United States is in fact a litigant right now in the immigration ban cases — said what President Trump said, you would hold him in contempt of court,” Blumenthal said, adding that Gorsuch did not give a response to that comment.

That last point is notable. Blumenthal was careful. He didn't seem to go much further than those two d-words that Gorsuch's spokesman confirmed Gorsuch had used. There's really nothing in these quotes that's more substantial or controversial than that.

About the only quibble-worthy point I can see is whether Gorsuch was speaking specifically about Trump's tweet about the “so-called judge” or more generally about his comments about the judiciary. But the sentiment would be completely the same; it's all about Trump attacking or not-so-subtly threatening judges.

In addition, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) on Thursday morning seemed to confirm the general flavor of Gorsuch's views on Trump's comments about the judiciary.

Blumenthal stood by his version of Gorsuch's comments during on Thursday morning. “The long and short of it is that there's no doubt that he said that Donald Trump's attack on the judiciary is demoralizing,” Blumenthal told The Post's Ed O'Keefe, adding that Trump's “own White House staff was in the room, so I think he just needs to talk to them.”

We'll see if Gorsuch's team or the White House have anything to add to the president's allegation — we haven't heard back as of yet — but it would not be unprecedented if Gorsuch didn't agree with Trump's allegation of a mischaracterization. Trump and those surrounding him often offer different versions of events, with the president seeming to prefer the version of events that reflects most positively upon himself, even if it doesn't square with the facts.

In this case, that means disputing Gorsuch's highly unusual rebuke of the man who, after all, nominated him for a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court of the United States.