Roughly 24 hours after Wednesday’s revelation that the White House was vetting former judge and current Republican Governor of Nevada, Brian Sandoval, for the Supreme Court, the man himself opened up about the matter in an official statement. So, what’s the verdict? Is he excited and honored? Deplored and disgusted? After all, the intensely partisan fight over whether or not President Obama will be able to nominate a judge to replace the late Antonin Scalia is getting really… partisan. Who’d want to be a part of that?
Sandoval, for one. Turns out, the Republican state official doesn’t want to be a part of the Supreme Court nomination process that is currently under way being blocked by Republican interests. As the Associated Press reports, the Nevada governor officially told the White House “thanks, but no thanks” in a statement issued on Thursday.
[He] says the notion of being considered for the highest court in the land is “beyond humbling” and he is “incredibly grateful” to be mentioned.
He says he also expressed his position to senators Harry Reid, Dean Heller and Mitch McConnell.
Despite being honored by President Obama’s inclusion of his name in the mix, Sandoval didn’t necessarily give a reason for his rejection. And considering his admission that he “expressed his position” to McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader and one of the in-progress Obama appointment’s staunchest critics, it’s easy to see why Sandoval’s decision could have been politically motivated.
After all, he is a Republican politician. While this may appear bipartisan on the part of President Obama, many Republicans viewed the news as the White House’s latest effort to infiltrate their ranks with a so-called “Trojan Horse.”
(via Associated Press)