Trump judicial pick withdraws after video of him failing to answer legal questions goes viral
WASHINGTON _ Matthew Petersen on Monday withdrew his nomination to be a judge on the federal district court in Washington, less than a week after a video of his confirmation hearing went viral because it showed him unable to answer Sen. John N. Kennedy's questions on basic litigation principles.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., mocked Peterson's performance when he posted the video of the nominee stumbling over answers as a "MUST WATCH" in a tweet that concluded "he can't answer a single one. Hoo-boy."
That tweet got more than 80,000 retweets and 136,000 likes.
In a withdrawal letter, Petersen cited his past experience on the Federal Election Commission and as a chief counsel to a Senate committee, as well as the American Bar Association ranking him unanimously as qualified.
"I had hoped that my nearly two decades of public service might carry more weight than my two worst minutes on television," Petersen wrote in his withdrawal letter. "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."
Peterson is the third judicial appointee from President Donald Trump to be tripped up by the confirmation process.
Last week, Brett Talley, a nominee to be a district judge in Alabama offered to withdraw his nomination.
_CQ Roll Call
