President Donald Trump has reportedly privately aired grievances about his most recent Supreme Court Justice pick, Amy Coney Barrett, for not sufficiently supporting his agenda.
While the president publicly turns to the conservative-heavy court for help in implementing some of his most controversial agenda, in private, he’s complained about some of the justices he’s nominated, with an emphasis on Barrett, CNN reported.
Barrett, the last justice to be nominated and appointed by Trump, has shown herself to be less of a hardline conservative than other justices such as Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito.
In March, she joined Chief Justice John Roberts and the liberal wing of the court in ruling against Trump’s attempts to avoid paying $2 billion in USAID funding. Last month, she recused herself from a case on religious charter schools, which left the court deadlocked in a decision.
Those decisions came after Barrett joined Roberts and liberal justices in ordering Trump to be sentenced in his New York hush money case, just days before his inauguration.
The recent maneuvers have earned the ire of Trump loyalists, with some calling her “weak,” fueling the president’s dissatisfaction with the highest court in the nation, according to CNN.
Harrison Fields, a spokesperson for the White House, said in a statement that, “President Trump will always stand with the U.S. Supreme Court, unlike the Democrat Party, which, if given the opportunity, would pack the court, ultimately undermining its integrity.”
“The President may disagree with the Court and some of its rulings, but he will always respect its foundational role,” Fields continued.
Overall, the court, as well as Barrett, has largely handed Trump wins in cases over his administration’s policies as well as his personal endeavors. Barrett joined her conservative colleagues last year in awarding Trump broad immunity from criminal prosecution and allowing him on the ballot in several states.
But, over the last year, Barrett has also shown herself unafraid of stepping away from the conservative bloc in various cases.
Several sources familiar with the matter told CNN that Trump has aired complaints about Barrett as well as Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh – the two other conservative judges he tapped for the court.
Although Trump has shared his complaints privately, a source close to the president told CNN he does not want to launch public attacks on individual justices.
After Barrett voted against Trump in the USAID case, the president defended her, calling her “a very good woman.”
“She’s a very good woman. She’s very smart, and I don’t know about people attacking her, I really don’t know,” Trump told reporters.
MAGA targets Justice Amy Coney Barrett after she rules against Trump
New Jersey mayor sues Alina Habba for ‘malicious prosecution’ after his arrest outside ICE facility
Judge rules federal prisons must continue providing hormone therapy to transgender inmates
