White House press secretary Jen Psaki once again defended President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Tuesday, arguing, “Senators who agree with us on very little” have said “she’s qualified.”
Psaki was responding to a reporter’s question on what the White House is doing to prepare Jackson for possible scrutiny by Republican lawmakers when she heads into her Senate Judiciary Committee hearings next week.
“Judge Jackson, I think as you’ve seen, has been working to meet with every member on the committee before her hearing and made a great deal of progress on exactly that,” Psaki said. “You’ve heard senators … who agree with us on very little who have come out and conveyed that she’s qualified and that they had good conversations with her.”
SUPREME COURT NOMINEE MEETS FOUR SENATORS AS GOP VOWS ‘RESPECT’ DURING HEARINGS
While top Republicans such as Senate Minority Mitch McConnell said earlier this month there is “no question” over Jackson’s qualifications to the high court, GOP lawmakers have stopped short of committing their votes to confirm her, noting further assessment is needed of her “judicial philosophy.”
Meanwhile, Jackson continued her visits to the Capitol on Tuesday, meeting four additional senators, including former Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, who previously backed South Carolina federal Judge J. Michelle Childs as his preferred choice for the high court nomination.
So far, most Republican lawmakers appear cautious and willing to tow the party’s line, or at least express neutrality, in their decision on whether to confirm or deny Jackson’s high court nomination.
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Members of the GOP are also cognizant of the Democrat’s narrow majority in the 50-50 Senate, as the president’s party could confirm Jackson in a 51-50 vote if Democrats are aligned due to the vice president’s tiebreaking vote.
“As soon as she was nominated, she started practicing and studying and preparing, which I don’t think surprises anyone who’s looked at her impeccable credentials and record to date,” Psaki added on Tuesday. “And I expect that will continue until she starts the hearings early next week.”
