Mitch McConnell Shuts Down ‘Myth’ That Republicans Won’t Have Time To Confirm A SCOTUS Nominee

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the floor of the Senate on Monday to completely debunk the “myth” that the GOP does not have time to confirm a Supreme Court nominee before the election.

McConnell Says There Will Be Confirmation Hearings For Trump SCOTUS Pick

McConnell cited a historical precedent in arguing that the Senate actually has lots of time to confirm a nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat that was left vacant by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg last Friday.

“President Trump’s nominee for this vacancy will receive a vote on the floor of the Senate,” McConnell said. “Now already, some of the same individuals who tried every conceivable dirty trick to obstruct Justice [Neil] Gorsuch and Justice [Brett] Kavanaugh are lining up to proclaim the third time will be the charm.”

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“The American people are about to witness an astonishing parade of misrepresentations about the past, misstatements about the present, and more threats against our institutions from the same people who’ve already been saying for months — well before this — already been saying for months they want to pack the court,” he added.

McConnell Cites Historical Precedents

Not stopping there, McConnell addressed the “incorrect” claims that the Senate does not have time to complete the process of confirming a nominee before the election.

“We are already hearing incorrect claims that there is not sufficient time to examine and confirm a nominee,” McConnell said. “We can debunk this myth in about 30 seconds.”

“As of today there are 43 days until Nov. 3 and 104 days until the end of this Congress,” McConnell said. “The late iconic Justice John Paul Stevens was confirmed by the Senate 19 days after this body formally received his nominations — 19 days from start to finish.”

“Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, another iconic jurist, was confirmed 33 days after her nomination,” he added. “For the late Justice Ginsburg herself it was just 42 days. Justice Stevens’ entire confirmation process could’ve been played out twice between now and Nov. 3 with time to spare. And Justice Ginsburg herself could’ve been confirmed twice between now and the end of the year, with time to spare.

“The Senate has more than sufficient time to process a nomination,” McConnell concluded. “History and precedent make that perfectly clear.”

And that, ladies and gentleman, is what we call a mic drop moment.

READ NEXT: Rush Limbaugh: Skip the Senate Hearings And Go Straight To A Vote On Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee

This piece was written by PoliZette Staff on September 21, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Trump Responds To Ginsburg’s Dying Wish – Questions If It Actually Came From Her

After Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on Friday evening, it was widely reported that her final wish had been that no replacement be named to fill her vacant seat until after the election. President Donald Trump responded to this wish on Monday, questioning if it actually came from Ginsburg herself.

Trump Questions Whether Ginsburg Really Made Final Wish

“Well, I don’t know that she said that, or was that written out by [Rep.] Adam Schiff and Schumer and Pelosi?” Trump asked during a Fox News interview. “I would be more inclined to the second.”

Trump was referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

“That sounds like a Schumer deal, or maybe a Pelosi or Schifty Schiff that came out of the wind. Let’s see, I mean, maybe she did, maybe she didn’t,” Trump added. “Look, the bottom line is, we won the election. We have an obligation to do what is right and act as quickly as possible, we should act quickly because we’re going to have probably election things involved here.”

RELATED: President Trump: If Dems Use Impeachment To Block Supreme Court Nomination, “We Win”

The president went on to say that his concerns over “fake ballots” in November make it especially important that the Supreme Court not be split in a 4-4 vote.

“We don’t want to have a tie, no we don’t, and we want to have nine justices, and we want to have somebody with a lot of talent,” Trump said of who he was considering to replace Ginsburg.

Immediately after Ginsburg died on Friday at the age of 87, NPR published a statement reportedly given by Ginsburg to her granddaughter Clara Spera that she dictated in the days before her death.

“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” Ginsburg allegedly said.

RELATED: What Ginsburg Said Four Years Ago About Filling A SCOTUS Vacancy During An Election Year

Trump Discusses Merrick Garland Controversy

Later in today’s interview, Trump talked about the controversy surrounding Barack Obama’s 2016 Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland, which was not pushed through by the Republican-controlled Senate. Trump blamed this situation on Obama, however, rather than on Garland.

“So I think Merrick Garland is an outstanding judge; I think he’s outstanding and I think he’s of outstanding intellect. He is liberal, that’s okay, but the only problem was — and this is up to the Senate — the only problem was President Obama did not have the Senate. I mean, I could go a step further, President Obama didn’t get a lot of judges,” Trump said. “That was an election of a different kind, we have the Senate.”

The president added that he is eager for the confirmation process to take place before the election on November 3, arguing that the last thing America needs is another negative experience during these trying times.

“I think [doing so] would be good for the Republican Party, and I think it would be good for everybody to get it over with because it’s always controversial,” Trump said. “And no matter who I pick, no matter how great the intellect, how brilliant the person … the Democrats will say, ‘This is terrible, this is terrible.'”

This piece was written by PoliZette Staff on September 21, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Trump Fires Back After Obama Says He Shouldn’t Fill SCOTUS Vacancy
‘The View’ Derails After Kim Klacik Calls Out Joy Behar For ‘Parading In Blackface’
Biden Campaign Can’t Handle The Campaign Schedule

The post Trump Responds To Ginsburg’s Dying Wish – Questions If It Actually Came From Her appeared first on The Political Insider.

President Trump: If Dems Use Impeachment To Block Supreme Court Nomination, “We Win”

President Donald Trump said on Monday that if the Democrats use an impeachment attempt to block his Supreme Court nomination, he will win the election.

Pelosi: “We Have Arrows In Our Quiver”

In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was challenged as to whether the Democrats would use impeachment as a method to stop the President from nominating somebody to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.

“We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now, but the fact is we have a big challenge in our country,” Pelosi told Stephanopoulos. “This president has threatened to not even accept the results of the election.”

“Our main goal would be to protect the integrity of the election as we protect the people from the coronavirus,” she added. Pelosi was questioned again as to whether she would use impeachment tactics. She replied that the Constitution requires that Congress “use every arrow in our quiver.”

“We have a responsibility,” she continued. “We take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. We have a responsibility to meet the needs of the American people.”

Trump: “If They Do That, We Win All Elections”

This did not impress President Trump, who shot back during an interview with Fox and Friends on Monday. “I heard if I [nominate someone for the Supreme Court], they’re going to impeach me,” President Trump said.

“So they’re impeaching me for doing what constitutionally I have to do,” he added. “If they do that, we win all elections.”

If they go ahead with impeachment in retaliation for the Supreme Court, President Trump thinks that his “numbers will go up.”

“I think we’ll win the entire election,” he concluded. “I think we’re going to win back the House, I think we’re going to win the House anyway.”

He’s On The Up Already – Impeachment Will Only Assist His Numbers!

I have to agree with the President’s analysis. Why? His numbers are already on the up, all across the board. He’s closing the gap on the overall polling average between him and Joe Biden to 6 points overall, down from 9 in August.

He’s 8 points more trusted on the economy than Biden, which is one of the most important issues in this election, especially during these uncertain times. Both Hispanic and black voters are turning on Biden, with the President seeing a rise in support in both of those demographics.

A second impeachment attempt would only gain him more support. The American people are tired of Democrat politicians wasting time on meaningless politicing, ESPECIALLY now that this country is going through the coronavirus pandemic.

They’d be fools to go through impeachment again.

The post President Trump: If Dems Use Impeachment To Block Supreme Court Nomination, “We Win” appeared first on The Political Insider.

Rush Limbaugh: Skip the Senate Hearings And Go Straight To A Vote On Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee

Rush Limbaugh toyed with the idea that Senate Republicans skip the confirmation hearings for President Trump’s next Supreme Court nominee.

Limbaugh, a conservative radio host, mentioned the idea during his Monday broadcast.

He believes whoever the nominee is, Democrats will be planning to drag their name through the mud, just as they did with other Republican presidential nominees.

“I want the Judiciary Committee — I think it’d be great if it were skipped,” suggested Limbaugh.

“We don’t need to open that up for whatever length of time so that whoever this nominee is can be Kavanaughed or Borked or Thomased,” he added. “Because that’s what it’s gonna be, especially when it’s not even required.”

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Rush Limbaugh Explains Why Republicans Should Skip SCOTUS Hearings

Aside from noting that the next nominee to the court will have their lives turned upside down by Democrats, Limbaugh believes there is no requirement dictating hearings must be held.

“You know, I mentioned that the Judiciary Committee does not have to do its thing. It’s become a tradition, but it’s not a requirement,” he explained.

“Why not just blow up another tradition? Because, I’ll tell you, that’s how we’re gonna maintain the ones that matter,” continued Limbaugh.

“They have to be defeated. This Supreme Court seat has to be confirmed, it has to be named and confirmed before the election.”

The United States Senate website on nominations states that the practice was not initially common:

“In the 19th century, the Senate referred few nominations to committees. Since the mid-20th century, committee referral has become routine and most nominees testify at Senate hearings.”

Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution alludes to the “advice and consent of the Senate” being required.

The president “shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for…”

The Senate site notes that this section though, “has inspired widely varying interpretations” of its meaning.

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SCOTUS Process Was Always Going to Come Back to Haunt Dems

If holding confirmation hearings in the Senate is nothing more than a tradition, we see no reason for President Trump not to ‘blow it up.’

For two reasons:

1. Democrats are already threatening to blow up the process by using impeachment – a process reserved for ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ – as a means to stop Trump’s nominee.

2. Is there any doubt that the resistance party would take any action necessary the moment they have power again? Please.

In 2017, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell triggered the so-called ‘nuclear option’ after Democrats filibustered the nomination of  Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch.

Doing so abolished the 60-vote requirement for nominees, something the Democrats themselves instituted for other judicial nominees under the leadership of Harry Reid in 2013.

And McConnell warned him not to do it …

“You’ll regret this, and you may regret this a lot sooner than you think,” McConnell warned from the Senate floor.

Gorsuch, and later Brett Kavanaugh, were both beneficiaries of the ‘nuclear option’ being invoked.

It will certainly come into play with Trump’s selection to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

We have Democrats to thank for the controversial tactic. Now Limbaugh wants to see Republicans toss out another archaic tradition. Should they do it?

The post Rush Limbaugh: Skip the Senate Hearings And Go Straight To A Vote On Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee appeared first on The Political Insider.