One of Trump's judicial nominees drew a blank during his confirmation hearing on Thursday when a Republican senator grilled him on basic legal terms.
Things got off to a rocky start for Matthew Spencer Petersen, a nominee for U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia when he was singled out for never having tried a case to verdict.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., went on to interrogate Petersen, a commissioner on the Federal Election Commission, who admitted he had never taken a deposition by himself or argued a motion in state or federal court.
Petersen then choked when Kennedy went on and tested him on several legal terms in a cringe-inducing exchange.
When Kennedy asked him about a "motion in limine," Petersen fumbled and said, "Yes ... my background is not in litigation."
Kennedy patiently listened as Peterson rambled on about his career path before returning his attention back to the motion, which is used to bar an opposing party from introducing certain evidence.
"I would probably not be able to give you a good definition right here at the table," Petersen finally conceded.
When asked about the Younger abstention doctrine, or the Pullman abstention doctrine, both grounds for a federal court to abstain from hearing a case, Petersen said, "I've heard of it" and shook his head.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., shared the video of the hearing on Twitter, writing, "MUST WATCH: Republican @SenJohn asks one of @realDonaldTrump's US District Judge nominees basic questions of law & he can't answer a single one. Hoo-boy."
Jared Walczak, a senior analyst at the Tax Foundation tweeted, "This is one of the most painful exchanges I've ever watched, and Sen. Kennedy's calm questioning only makes it more brutal."
Twitter user @Lecternonthelam wrote, "I can't even. This is a joke. I was more qualified than this 'nominee' when I was a law clerk before I even passed the bar. Thank you for exposing this farce."
Trump has already decided not to pursue two district court nominees after Brett Talley, who was in the running for a district court post in Alabama, came under fire for lack of experience, Politico reported.
