Donald Trump has attacked claims by a Democratic senator that his pick for the Supreme Court described his comments about judges as "demoralising".

The President accused Senator Richard Blumenthal of misrepresenting Neil Gorsuch, who Mr Trump has nominated to fill a vacant spot at the highest court in the US.

Mr Trump tweeted: "Sen.Richard Blumenthal, who never fought in Vietnam when he said for years he had (major lie), now misrepresents what Judge Gorsuch told him?"

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Mr Blumenthal, a former state attorney general who currently represents Connecticut, said he had spoken to Mr Gorsuch during a meeting.


He said Judge Gorsuch had described the President's comments about the judiciary as "demoralising and disheartening".

Judge Gorsuch's remarks were later confirmed by Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist hired by the White House to guide his nomination through the US Senate.

Senator Blumenthal said that during his meeting he had told Judge Gorsuch he would need to condemn Mr Trump's attacks on judicial independence publicly.

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"It needs to be a strong condemnation and that kind of public condemnation is important to establish his independence," Mr Blumenthal said.

"Otherwise, the American public will conclude that he is more likely to be a rubber stamp."

It follows earlier attacks by Mr Trump on both a judge who made an initial order overturning his travel ban and further judges who upheld the order.

He described the judge who made the initial order, Judge James Robart, as a "so-called judge" and went on to issue a series of further tweets criticising his decision.

His attacks on the judiciary have been widely condemned by many in the legal profession, who say that its independence is an essential part of the US's system of checks and balances.

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Among those to outline their concerns is a group of lawyers who have written to the heads of the Department of Justice to complain about the President's attacks.

When he was a candidate for the Senate in 2010, the New York Times quoted Mr Blumenthal saying he "served in Vietnam" and posted the audio on its website.

The senator later said he had used "misplaced words" about his Vietnam service but never intended to deceive voters.