Unidentified sources say that Donald Trump has promised to nominate Peter Thiel to the Supreme Court. Thiel is not your typical Republican.
Like Trump, Thiel is a billionaire. Unlike Trump, he’s gay and proud. And he’s an immigrant (from Germany). He supports legalization of marijuana, and he is truly a self-made billionaire, rating 8 on the Forbes self-made scale.
A Tech Entrepreneur
Thiel is one of the founders of PayPal, and he was one of the first outside investors in Facebook. He also was a founder of Palantir, a software company.
Thiel even spoke at the Republican National Convention. You might recall he got a little applause when he said he was proud to be gay, but much more when he said he was proud to be a Republican.
In 2012, he was a major backer of Ron Paul, according to the Center or Public Integrity.
Thiel, Trump Both Deny Promise
Although both LawNewz and the Huffington Post report that sources close to Trump vouch for the story, Trump’s press secretary, Hope Hicks, has denied it, saying:
“There is absolutely no truth to this whatsoever.”
And Thiel’s spokesperson, Jeremiah Hall, said:
“Peter hasn’t had any conversations about a Supreme Court nomination, and has no interest in the job.”
It would be unlike Thiel to be interested, actually. He graduated from Stanford Law, and he landed a job with the prestigious firm Sullivan and Cromwell. But he left the firm and the practice of law after seven months.
Trump’s Short List
In May, the Trump campaign released a list of 11 candidates Trump was considering for the Supreme Court. Thiel’s name wasn’t on it, however. Every single potential candidate was a sitting judge. Then again, Trump said at the time that the judges represented the constitutional principles he values, and that the list was a guide. And we know Trump is unpredictable.
