Sen. Sasse calls Politico profile, “…a whole bunch of nonsense”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Ben Sasse speaking at a Republican gathering in Iowa/Photo courtesy of Radio Iowa

United States Senator Ben Sasse dismisses an article in a national political magazine that he might mount a primary challenge to President Trump’s re-election campaign.

Sasse doesn’t think much of the article in Politico.

“I mean, good grief, I think the D.C. political press is about the only place in America where people would be wanting to talk about political elections in 2020,” Sasse tells Nebraska Radio Network. “That’s what’s so broken about this town.”

The article takes two tracks. It first suggests President Donald Trump, frustrated by criticism from Sasse, might consider backing a Republican primary opponent to challenge Sasse’s re-election in 2020. It then suggests Sasse could mount a long-shot Republican primary challenge to Trump’s re-election campaign in 2020. It mentions Sasse recently formed America 101, a tax-exempt political group, fueling speculation Sasse is looking to higher office. It also mentions his frequent trips to speak in Iowa, the state with the first presidential caucuses.

The article emphasizes the criticism Sasse has leveled at the president. Yet, it also notes the two speak regularly and were in communication as the president considered who he should nominate to replace Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is retiring.

Sasse says he spoke with the president last week as Trump narrowed his potential nominees. Trump invited Sasse to the White House to attend the announcement that Trump would nominate Judge Brett Kavanaugh, now an appellate judge in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

Sasse says the two have their differences, but not on Trump’s judicial picks. Sasse has praised Trump on his judicial nominees and on disclosing a list of names from which he would choose a nominee should Supreme Court openings arise.

“I think that’s a whole bunch of nonsense and I don’t think anybody should waste any time on that,” Sasse says of the article. “I think we should be talking about this really great choice that the president has made to go through a process of sticking to the list that he told voters he was going to do in the campaign of 2016.”