Cory Booker Asks Judge Barrett If She Condemns ‘White Supremacy’ Then Blames Trump For Having to Ask

Democratic New Jersey Senator Cory Booker took time at today’s nomination hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme court to ask her if she condemns “white supremacy.”

Her response to the question was, “yes” and Booker said that he wished that President Trump would respond so resolutely to the question and that Americans were “fearful” because of that.

Booker then apologized that he had to ask.

Senator Cory Booker just asked Judge Amy Coney Barrett if she condemns white supremacypic.twitter.com/9DeIDah546

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 13, 2020

Barrett is a mother of seven, including two Black children that she and her husband adopted from Haiti and, as Booker had noted, she had “already spoken to issues of racism” and how she deplores it. Barrett appeared to glance over at them as Booker was asking the question.

Booker later tweeted out about the exchange that he had with Barrett after he asked that question, saying that he “asked Amy Coney Barrett today if she believes every president should make a commitment to the peaceful transition of power.”

“She wouldn’t answer my question,” Booker claimed, and then insisted “That’s profoundly concerning for a judge who aspires to join our nation’s highest court.”

I asked Amy Coney Barrett today if she believes every president should make a commitment to the peaceful transition of power.

She wouldn't answer my question.

That's profoundly concerning for a judge who aspires to join our nation's highest court.

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 14, 2020

Joining the chorus of Democrats using Coronavirus stimulus as an attempt to criticize Republicans for holding the hearing, Booker had earlier tweeted out that the Senate’s “focus should be on working in a bipartisan way to get this virus under control and provide relief to those who are hurting.”

“Not trampling over democratic norms to rush through a Supreme Court nominee,” he added.

Our focus should be on working in a bipartisan way to get this virus under control and provide relief to those who are hurting.

Not trampling over democratic norms to rush through a Supreme Court nominee.https://t.co/uaurI2z4ez

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 13, 2020

In an interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd last month, he called holding the hearings, “the height of hypocrisy” and compared it to 2016 when Republicans held the Senate and Barack Obama was president.