Posted on 06/29/2018 1:17:57 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell defended himself Thursday evening against claims that he is being hypocritical by pushing to confirm a new Supreme Court justice before the upcoming elections.
After Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, McConnell said on the Senate floor that legislators "will vote to confirm Justice Kennedy's successor this fall," which prompted an outcry from Democrats, who accused the majority leader of hypocrisy for not waiting until after the elections as he did when former President Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland in 2016.
"Sen. McConnell set the new standard by giving the American people their say in the upcoming election before Court vacancies are filled," Democratic Minority Whip Dick Durbin said in a statement, according to CNN.
"With so much at stake for the people of our country, the U.S. Senate must be consistent and consider the President's nominee once the new Congress is seated in January."
"What I said in 2016 is that we shouldn't fill a Supreme Court vacancy in the middle of a presidential election year. The last time I looked, there's no presidential election this year," McConnell said on Fox News Thursday.
"And, in fact, three current members of the U.S. Supreme Court were completed in election years, non-presidential election years. And the president's nominee to the Kennedy vacancy will be confirmed in a non-presidential election election year," he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
This whole thing is a farce. Should a Supreme Court seat open up in 2020 and the Republicans still control the senate then I guarantee that McConnell will hold a vote on the replacement.
Of course. They’re hypocrites.
Better yet, if BOTH of them croak...just thinking about the possibilities!
Autopsies will be “in” again.
Nothing to defend Mitch. You have the Presidency and well earned majorities in both houses. Push it on through and let’s put a solid Scalia disciple on the court. Then the Ginsburg death watch begins
I believe these Dems will hold firm for liberalism because all of them are liberals.
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