Matthew Petersen withdrew his nomination to the federal court Monday after an embarrassing video showed how little he was prepared to be questioned about legal matters by members of Congress.
Here's the video that forced him to withdraw:
MUST WATCH: Republican @SenJohnKennedy asks one of @realDonaldTrump’s US District Judge nominees basic questions of law & he can’t answer a single one. Hoo-boy. pic.twitter.com/fphQx2o1rc
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) December 15, 2017
In the video, Rep. John Kennedy (R-La.) served up basic questions about the position he was seeking, those that experts say a second year legal student should be able to answer, and Petersen stumbled.
Matthew Petersen was nominated by President Trump for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, but he admitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee that he had little experience or knowledge that would make him qualified to the position.
Petersen, a member of the Federal Election Commission, directly blamed the viral video for withdrawing his name in a statement Monday.
"I had hoped that my nearly two decades of public service might carry more weight than my two worst minutes on television," he said. "However, I am no stranger to political realities."
While Petersen is the third nominee from Trump that has withdrawn, one of the overwhelming victories of the administration is their filling up the courts with judges that are more ideologically aligned with the Republican side of the aisle.
Carlos Garcia
Staff Writer