Republicans Who Blocked Garland Mad at Democrats

Gina Mei
Updated
Photo credit: Getty
Photo credit: Getty

From Cosmopolitan

After spending almost a year blocking former President Barack Obama's SCOTUS pick Merrick Garland, Senate Republicans more or less demanded that Senate Democrats not even think of doing the same to President Donald Trump's SCOTUS pick Neil Gorsuch on Tuesday night - something many were quick to point out was a bit hypocritical.

Here are just a few quotes from Senate Republicans about Obama's nominee versus their reactions to Trump's nominee for comparison.

Sen. Mitch McConnell

On blocking Obama's pick: "I believe the overwhelming view of the Republican Conference in the Senate is that this nomination should not be filled, this vacancy should not be filled by this lame duck president."

On Democrats planning to block Trump's pick: "I think that’s something the American people simply will not tolerate and we’ll be looking forward to receiving a Supreme Court nomination and moving forward on it."

Speaker Paul Ryan

On blocking Obama's pick: "This has never been about who the nominee is. It is about a basic principle. Under our Constitution, the president has every right to make this nomination, and the Senate has every right not to confirm a nominee. I fully support Leader McConnell and Chairman Grassley's decision not to move forward with the confirmation process."

On quickly confirming Trump's pick: "I am confident my colleagues in the Senate will confirm Judge Gorsuch."

Sen. Marco Rubio

On Obama's pick: "I mean, I don’t see the point of it. I know enough about his record to know I wouldn’t support him and I know enough about the position in general to be able to say, number one, I don’t think we should be moving on a nominee in the last year of this president’s term - I would say that if it was a Republican president - and number two, even if this was the third year of this president’s term, this is not someone I’d support."

On Democrats planning to block Trump's pick: "Unfortunately, Senate Democrats already announced they would oppose any Supreme Court nominee no matter who it is. This obstruction is neither principled nor reasonable, considering we just had an election where the future of the Supreme Court was a central issue not only at the presidential level but in every Senate contest. On the issue of this Supreme Court nomination specifically, the American people gave the president and the Republican-controlled Senate a mandate to choose a successor to Antonin Scalia. Senate Democrats should accept the results of the election and allow the process to move forward with a vote. I look forward to a fair and thorough confirmation process, and I am confident Judge Gorsuch will be confirmed by the Senate once again, this time to serve on the Supreme Court."

Sen. John McCain

On blocking Obama's pick: "This issue is not about any single nominee – it’s about the integrity of the Court. With less than a year left in a lame-duck presidency and the long-term ideological balance of the Supreme Court at stake, I believe the American people must have a voice in the direction of the Supreme Court by electing a new president. The last time the American people spoke, they elected a Republican majority to the Senate to act as a ‘check and balance’ on President Obama’s liberal agenda – a responsibility I cannot ignore."

On a potential Hillary Clinton pick: "I promise you that we will be united against any Supreme Court nominee that Hillary Clinton, if she were president, would put up."

On Democrats planning to block Trump's pick: "Throughout my time in the Senate, I have supported Supreme Court nominees of presidents from both political parties. Elections have consequences, and out of deference to the newly elected President’s selection and in the tradition of the U.S. Senate, I am looking forward to a fair and thorough nomination process and a vote on this highly qualified nominee."

Sen. Jim Inhofe

On blocking Obama's pick: "It makes the current presidential election all that more important as not only are the next four years in play, but an entire generation of Americans will be impacted by the balance of the court and its rulings. Sens. Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid have all made statements that the Senate does not have to confirm presidential nominations in an election year. I will oppose this nomination as I firmly believe we must let the people decide the Supreme Court's future."

On quickly confirming Trump's pick: "I am pleased with the president’s selection of Gorsuch. I look forward to receiving his nomination in the Senate and confirming him to the high court swiftly."

Sen. Mike Lee

On blocking Obama's pick: "This is the Senate’s prerogative...The Senate is a political body. And it’s put into the appointment process for a reason... With that politicization of the Supreme Court, it shouldn’t be surprising to us that the Senate has chosen to exercise its power and let the next president fill this vacancy."

On quickly confirming Trump's pick: "This vacancy was a central to 2016 campaign and the people have spoken by electing President Trump and returning a Republican Senate majority."

Sen. Ted Cruz

On blocking Obama's pick: (It's worth noting that at the time of this statement, Cruz was still in the running for president - and he actually states his opposition to a potential Trump nominee, too.) "Merrick Garland is exactly the type of Supreme Court nominee you get when you make deals in Washington D.C. A so-called ‘moderate’ Democrat nominee is precisely the kind of deal that Donald Trump has told us he would make – someone who would rule along with other liberals on the bench like Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor... We cannot afford to lose the Supreme Court for generations to come by nominating or confirming someone that a dealmaker like Donald Trump would support... I proudly stand with my Republican colleagues in our shared belief – our advice and consent – that we should not vote on any nominee until the next president is sworn into office. The People will decide. I commend Mitch McConnell and Chuck Grassley for holding the line and ensuring that We the People get to exercise our authority to decide the direction of the Supreme Court and the Bill of Rights.”

On Democrats planning to block Trump's pick: "There is no doubt that the Democrats are engaged right now in unprecedented partisan obstruction. But I hope on the Supreme Court they will not engage on that practice... What I can tell you is the Democrats will not succeed in filibustering Judge Gorsuch."

Sen. Chuck Grassley

On blocking Obama's pick: "Today the President has exercised his constitutional authority. A majority of the Senate has decided to fulfill its constitutional role of advice and consent by withholding support for the nomination during a presidential election year, with millions of votes having been cast in highly charged contests."

On quickly confirming Trump's pick: "Following the death of Justice Scalia as Americans were beginning to cast their votes for the next President, I said that we’d move forward with the next President’s nomination to the Supreme Court, regardless of who won. The President has made his selection and that’s what we’ll do."

Sen. Pat Roberts

On blocking Obama's pick: "He may very well be a very good nominee. I voted for him earlier. But it’s not about the nominee, it’s about the process."

On quickly confirming Trump's pick: "The American people voted in November knowing the responsibility of the next president to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. President Trump has selected a person who he believes will carry on in the tradition of Justice Scalia and uphold the values of the Constitution to the highest standard. I believe that is exactly the type of justice we need. I look forward to meeting Judge Gorsuch and hope for a swift confirmation."

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