Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse grilled Judge Neil Gorsuch with questions about the funding for a $10 million campaign boosting his Supreme Court bid.
Whitehouse raised the questions as a way of getting Gorsuch to address questions regarding the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision about campaign finance. Asked by Whitehouse whether he thought knowing the identities of the donors was in the public interest, Gorsuch said, “Well, senator, I think we’ve got a long tradition … including this body has robust authority to regulate disclosure.”
“Senator, that’s a policy question for this body,” Gorsuch said when questioned again about whether the Judiciary Committee should learn who is financing the outside campaign on his behalf. “It’d be a politics question. And I’m not, senator, with all respect going to get involved in politics.”
Whitehouse then questioned how senators could know whether Gorsuch would properly handle a partiality question in potential recusal matters if lawmakers did not know who donated to support Gorsuch. Whitehouse added that hypothetically the $10 million could come from, “Your friend, Mr. Anschutz.” (Phil Anschutz owns the parent company of the Washington Examiner.)
Gorsuch responded by lamenting the politicization of the confirmation process and said he regretted putting his family through it. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals judge suggested that if Whitehouse wanted greater disclosure about money in politics, he should work to pass a law requiring it.
The Judicial Crisis Network is one of the main groups spearheading the $10 million campaign boosting Gorsuch’s high court bid. While Whitehouse said he did not know who to ask about where the money came from during Tuesday’s hearing on Gorsuch’s nomination, the group’s chief counsel and policy director, Carrie Severino, was seated in the audience.
“We are proud of our team and our campaign, and we look forward to congratulating Justice Gorsuch on his confirmation,” Severino said Tuesday.
After Whitehouse’s round of questions concluded, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley complained about his line of questioning. Whitehouse beamed as Grassley spoke and drew congratulatory smiles and glances from fellow Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
