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President Trump late Thursday lashed out at the conservative Federalist Society and its former head Leonard Leo after one of the judges he appointed upon their recommendation ruled against him in a decision that rolled back the president’s sweeping tariffs.
In a lengthy rant on Truth Social, Mr. Trump said that he was new to Washington and relied upon the advice of the Society and Mr. Leo, whom he branded a “real sleazebag,” on judicial appointments.
“It was suggested that I use the Federalist Society as a recommending source on Judges. I did so, openly and freely, but then realized that they were under the thumb of a real ‘sleazebag’ named Leonard Leo, a bad person who, in his own way, probably hates America and obviously has his own separate ambitions,” Mr. Trump wrote.
“I am so disappointed in The Federalist Society because of the bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations. This is something that cannot be forgotten! With all of that being said, I am very proud of many of our picks, but very disappointed in others. They always must do what’s right for the Country! In this case it is only because of my successful use of tariffs that many trillions of dollars have already begun.”
Mr. Trump went on to blast Mr. Leo, accusing him of bragging that he controls judges on the federal bench, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I hope that is not so, and I don’t believe it is,” Mr. Trump wrote.
In a statement to The Washington Times, Mr. Leo did not directly address the president’s criticism.
“I’m very grateful for President Trump transforming the Federal Courts, and it was a privilege being involved. There’s more work to be done, for sure, but the Federal Judiciary is better than it’s ever been in modern history, and that will be President Trump’s most important legacy,” he said.
On Wednesday, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Trade ruled that Mr. Trump had overstepped his authority when he imposed some of his steepest tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico.
They said the president can invoke emergency powers to solve the nation’s trade deficit because tariffs don’t explicitly address the fentanyl trade, the stated reason for the emergency. Mr. Trump imposed steep tariffs on tariffs to encourage Beijing to crack down on fentanyl trade.
One of the judges who invalidated Mr. Trump’s tariffs was Judge Timothy Reif, whom the president appointed during his first term. The other two judges, Gary Katzmann and Jane Restani, were appointed by former Presidents Obama and Reagan, respectively.
Judge Reif is the latest in a series of Trump-appointed judges who have blocked the administration’s efforts.
Earlier this month U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, thwarted the administration’s efforts to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport people it suspected of being members of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization.
A full 11-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit stayed that order Thursday afternoon to give the White House time to appeal the initial ruling.
In his lengthy social media post, Mr. Trump questioned the motivations of the judges on the trade court.
“How is it possible for them to have potentially done such damage to the United States of America? Is it purely a hatred of ‘TRUMP?’ What other reason could there be?”
Mr. Trump also predicted that the Supreme Court will ultimately rule in his favor on tariffs, but warned the damage to the United States could be catastrophic.
“Under this decision, trillions of dollars would be lost by our country, money that will make America great again,” he said. “It would be the harshest financial ruling ever leveled on us as a sovereign nation.”
English (US) ·