President Donald Trump on Monday tried to cajole GOP Senators to support a swift confirmation of his choice to succeed the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, saying it would be wrong for Republicans to delay until after the November elections.
“I would rather see it all take place before the elections, before November 3,” the President told reporters before leaving for a pair of campaign events in Ohio.
Mr. Trump said it would be wrong for GOP Senators to delay it past the elections, and into a lame duck, post-election session of Congress.
“I would think that would be very bad for them,” the President said of Senate Republicans. “I think their voters, the people that voted for them, put them there because of a certain ideology.”
President Trump: "On Friday or Saturday I'll be announcing the pick. Five women are being looked at and vetted very carefully...I'd much rather have a vote before the election because there's a lot of work to be done...we have plenty of time to do it." pic.twitter.com/RKhUwSyShP
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 21, 2020
Up on Capitol Hill, Senate Republicans sent the clear message that they’re ready to push ahead with a new nominee for the Supreme Court - but there is still no plan for exactly when a vote will take place.
“President Trump’s nominee for this vacancy will receive a vote on the floor of the Senate,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
But in the hallways, there were shoulder shrugs from some individual GOP Senators on when that vote should occur - before or after November 3.
So far, two Republicans - Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - have said the White House should hold off on a vote until after the November elections.
Sen. Cornyn not pushing a pre-election confirmation, said he had no qualms about doing a lame duck SCOTUS confirmation if that's what it comes to, even if Republicans lose White House. “You mean while we’re still in our term in office and President trump is? Of course?”
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) September 21, 2020
Democrats meanwhile denounced the idea of a rushed confirmation.
“The Senate has never confirmed a nominee to the Supreme Court this close to a Presidential election,” said Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer.
Schumer and other Democrats also reminded Republicans of their words from four years ago, when they blocked a Supreme Court nomination from President Obama made eight months before the elections.
“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice,” they quoted Sen. McConnell from February of 2016.
But if McConnell can muster 50 votes - plus the tie-breaker from Vice President Mike Pence - the GOP can do whatever it wants with a Supreme Court nomination, no matter what Democrats say.
