Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch has said that the president's attacks on judges and courts weighing the legality of his controversial immigration order was "disheartening" and "demoralising".
Mr Gorsuch, who had remained largely silent since Mr Trump nominated him last week, made the comments in a meeting with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a spokesman for the nominee said.
Mr Gorsuch took exception to the president's recent tweets in which he attacked a federal judge in Seattle as a "so-called judge" after he blocked Mr Trump's travel ban on refugees, as well as immigrants from seven mainly Muslim nations.
The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 4, 2017
"He said very specifically that they were demoralising and disheartening and he characterised them very specifically that way," Mr Blumenthal said of Mr Gorsuch, according to CNN.
Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for Mr Gorsuch during his confirmation process, confirmed that the nominee had indeed made the comments.
Meanwhile, a US appeals court has said it will not issue its ruling on the Trump administration's travel ban today.
The three-judge 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals is currently considering a Department of Justice appeal to a Seattle judge's suspension of President Donald Trump's policy.
Mr Trump's administration yesterday asked the court to rule a federal judge was wrong to suspend a travel ban the president imposed on people from seven Muslim-majority countries and all refugees.
The 27 January executive order barred travellers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days, except refugees from Syria, whom he would ban indefinitely.
Mr Trump has defended the measure as necessary for national security.
But individuals, states and civil rights groups challenging the ban said his administration had offered no evidence it answered a threat.
Opponents also assailed the ban as discriminatory against Muslims.
US immigration officers accused of violating travellers' rights
Two legal rights groups have accused US immigration officials of repeatedly violating the rights of legal immigrants who were barred from entering the country under Mr Trump's travel ban.
In a formal complaint filed to the Department of Homeland Security, the groups accused customs and border officials of holding people for hours without food at airports and denying them access to lawyers following the 27 January decree.
The Kathryn O Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic and the Center for Constitutional Rights detailed 28 cases, many in which people holding legal visas were required to sign forms accepting their loss of visa and deportation without being allowed to first contact attorneys.
Some did not know what they were signing, but were threatened with a five-year visa ban if they did not agree, the complaint said.
The two groups called what happened "systemic abuses and violations" of the immigrants' rights, saying it was a pattern repeated in international airports around the US after the controversial order was signed.
The complaint, filed to the Homeland Security Department's Inspector General, said some people were held more than 30 hours having no idea when or how they would be released.
"Lawyers representing these individuals rushed to airports around the nation, but were categorically prohibited from communicating with the individuals detained inside, even when they presented proof of preexisting attorney-client relationships," it said.
In a Congressional hearing yesterday, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly denied Customs and Border Patrol officers had acted inappropriately, though he admitted that there had been significant confusion after the presidential order was issued with little preparation.
"Everyone was treated humanely. I've read the reports about people standing up for hours on end. Didn't happen," Mr Kelly said.
Meanwhile, the Dáil has heard that the review of pre-clearance facilities at Dublin and Shannon Airport for flights to the US will be with Taoiseach Enda Kenny by the end of the week.
Minister for Transport Shane Ross told the Dáil that the report had examined the issues surrounding the scheme.
He said it was now being collated between the departments of Transport, Justice and Foreign Affairs and would be completed by the end of the week.
The matter was raised by AAA/People Before Profit TD Mick Barry, and Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy.
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