VideoTrump judicial nominee Matthew Petersen withdraws after excruciating video of hearing goes viral
‘Just because you’ve seen My Cousin Vinny doesn’t qualify you to be a federal judge’
A Trump judicial nominee whose inability to answer basic legal questions at his confirmation hearing brought him widespread ridicule has withdrawn, a White House official said Monday.
Matthew Petersen, nominated by Trump to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, became an internet sensation after the video of his December 13 confirmation hearing – during which Petersen was unable to define basic legal terms – was posted online.
In his resignation letter to the president, Petersen said that while he was honoured to have been nominated for the position, “it has become clear to me over the past few days that my nomination has become a distraction – and that is not fair for you or your Administration.”
“I had hoped that my nearly two decades of public service might carry more weight than my two worst minutes on television,” he went on to say. “However, I am no stranger to political realities, and I do not wish to be a continued distraction from the important work of your Administration and the Senate.”
The letter was dated Saturday, December 16.
During the confirmation hearing, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy pressed Petersen, a member of the Federal Election Commission who testified he had never tried a case, on his qualifications for what would have been a lifetime appointment.
Kennedy said in an interview Monday with WWL-TV in New Orleans that Trump called him Saturday and said he did not personally interview Petersen. Trump, according to Kennedy, said his staff chose the nominees.