Image: Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, YouTube Screenshots

‘We Will Not Reward Hostage-Taking’ McConnell Rebukes Schumer’s Judge Barrett Nomination Stall Tactics

By:
On:
In: VIDEO, X/TWEET

The grandstanding by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will likely be soon coming to an end after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell filed “cloture” on Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination, setting off a countdown for a final vote on Barrett’s confirmation likely for Monday evening.

Schumer claimed that McConnell “has defiled the Senate as an institution more than any person in this generation and many generations.”

McConnell said it’s Democrats who started to break judicial norms in the Senate and Thursday, he said “I’m sorry that he feels the need to constantly say things that are false.”

“We will not reward hostage-taking, and we will not be bullied out of doing what is right. We’re going to follow history and precedent and do our jobs,” McConnell added.

Schumer has alternated between claims that it is too close to the election to confirm a new Justice and the fact that Democrats oppose her confirmation in general because they believe she will vote against their interests.

He tweeted out earlier that “A vote by any Senator for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee is a vote to rip away health care from millions of Americans. Democrats will not stop fighting” along with a video of him aggressively making his case on the Senate floor.

As part of today’s stall tactics, Schumer called for a closed session, which meant the press and public are removed from the chamber and senators meet in secret.

Schumer announced, “Before we go any further, we should shut off the cameras, close the Senate, and talk face to face about what this might mean for the country.”

He also tweeted out about it after: “I required the GOP to show up for a live quorum call—Senate can’t do business without quorum. Then I forced us into closed session to talk face-to-face about this nomination & its impact on America. But the GOP decided to keep forcing this nominee through an illegitimate process.”

Closed session is so uncommon, the last time senators had a secret session was in 2010 to privately discuss a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

It is usually reserved for matters deemed to require confidentiality and secrecy, such as national security, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Schumer also tweeted out about three other attempts, which included one that he had already tried once.

“I just forced a vote to stop Judge Barrett’s nomination from moving forward. We aren’t going to have business as usual as the Republicans try to use an illegitimate process to jam through President Trump’s nominee. But the Senate GOP voted to keep working to rip away health care,” he said first.

Schumer then tried to force “a vote to send Judge Barrett’s nomination back to the Judiciary Committee. But GOP voted to keep working to rip away health care. We won’t stop fighting. We won’t have business as usual as GOP tries to use an illegitimate process to jam through Pres. Trump’s nominee.”

Lastly, he again tried to force “a vote to adjourn the Senate until after the November election. But the Republicans voted to keep jamming President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee through this sham process to rip away health care from millions. We will not stop fighting.”

David Caron
Latest posts by David Caron (see all)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *