EXCLUSIVE — The conservative think tank founded by former Vice President Mike Pence is lobbying Senate Republicans to confirm a nominee of President Donald Trump to an appeals court who has been panned by other conservatives as a closet liberal.
Advancing American Freedom circulated content on Wednesday to GOP senators, who will be tasked with deciding whether to confirm Rebecca Taibleson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, defending the nominee for being “unfairly criticized” as a “secret liberal.”
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“The attacks launched against her are factually false,” AAF wrote in a memorandum to senators dispelling “myths” about Taibleson that was first seen by the Washington Examiner. “Conservatives should enthusiastically support Taibleson’s nomination.”
Taibleson is a federal prosecutor in Wisconsin and clerked for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, as well as Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he served on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. She was among those to testify in Kavanaugh’s support when he faced sexual assault allegations, which he denied, during his contentious 2018 confirmation.
Still, Taibleson’s conservative legal experience and Trump’s backing have failed to prevent a rare split among conservative groups and figures. Some have accused her of lacking the “judicial temperament required for an even-handed, equal application of the law along originalist grounds.”
In a since-deleted open letter prior to her confirmation hearing last week that was signed by dozens of major conservative organizations, Taibleson was cited as insufficiently conservative for political donations made by her and her husband to Democrats or left-leaning groups, being allegedly supported by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and a job resume that includes an internship at the Justice Department under former President Barack Obama and a stint at the Office of the Solicitor General that began in Trump’s first term but continued into the Biden administration.
The AAF memorandum to senators pushed back on the political donations criticism by noting a 2022 contribution to then-Sen. Joe Manchin, the Democrat-turned-independent, was for only $50, and her financial support of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, which supports Jewish causes, was explained by her Jewish faith. It also highlights that Baldwin has reserved judgment and that Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) supports Taibleson.
It was not clear why the disapproving letter of Taibleson was removed, which was posted by the Conservative Action Project. The group could not be reached for comment.
Several opinion pieces prior to her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, including one from Conservative Action Project Chairman Ken Blackwell, called on Trump to pull her nomination. Others have come to her defense.
At her hearing, Taibleson defended her record as “fully consistent” with conservative values, including prosecuting public corruption, violent crime, and drug traffickers. She also addressed criticisms of her husband’s political views, acknowledging that the two of them “don’t agree about everything in politics or the law, but my husband and I do agree about what, it turns out, are more important things in day-to-day life.” She cited family, religion, love of country, and public service devotion.
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Taibleson appeared to satisfy Republicans on the panel. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who posed a question about the criticism, said she offered a “very impressive answer” and praised her past defense of Kavanaugh.
The 7th Circuit, for which Taibleson is nominated, encompasses Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illinois. Taibleson will need to be advanced from the committee before the full chamber can consider confirmation.