Romney votes against Trump on comments attacking Obama

Sen. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyNew Hampshire voters support night health care Trump: HHS issues rule on price of drugs in TV commercials | Grassley and Wyden Prepare Plan to Limit Medication Costs in Medicare | Warren will donate money from his family behind the opioid giant Senator Dem asks McConnell to support a bipartisan bill to increase the age of smoking to 21 years. (R-Utah) voted against one of the President TrumpDonald John TrumpLawsuit alleges that the Trump campaign paid women less than men Graham encourages Donald Trump Jr. to plead the 5th Crunch for Senate discussions on disaster relief PLUSJustice on Tuesday chose controversial remarks about former President Obama.

Romney, who clashed with Obama in the 2012 presidential race, voted against Judge Michael Truncale, who was finally confirmed by 49 votes to 46 in East Texas.

Truncale raised his eyebrows in 2011 when he called Obama Obama a "non-American imposter."

He later told the Senate Judiciary Committee that he "simply expressed his frustration by what I perceived as a lack of overt patriotism on the part of President Obama," adding that he did not subscribe to to "birtherism".

However, Romney found enough flaws in the initial remark to vote against Truncale's candidacy.

"He made some particularly disheartening comments about President Obama. And as a Republican presidential candidate, I simply could not subscribe to this in front of a federal judge, "Romney told Politico during a brief interview.

"It was not a question of qualification or politics. As a former candidate of our party, it was a specific problem, "he added.

Romney has emerged as one of the few critics of the GOP's Trump, often hitting the president on his rhetoric. He recently challenged the White House in opposition to his intention to name Herman CainHerman CainHow the Liberals Canceled the Appointment of Steve Moore Moore Will not be at the Fed, and the Economy Will be Better Offered For This The Hill's Morning Report – Dementia at Barr Intensifies MORE at the Federal Reserve Board.

Although he votes most often with the president, he is more likely to oppose the White House than most other Republican senators, according to a tally compiled by FiveThirtyEight.