Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell dismissed Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s explanation for his controversial comments about two conservative Supreme Court justices.
The apology wasn’t enough, according to the Kentucky Republican.
“Now if that was an apology, it wasn’t much of an apology. He named the justices by name. He used words that generally are associated with inciting violence. Chuck Schumer ought to know better than that,” McConnell told Fox News on Thursday.
At an abortion rights rally on the steps of the Supreme Court on Wednesday, the top Senate Democrat made remarks that many saw as a threat against Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.
“I want to tell you, Gorsuch; I want to tell you, Kavanaugh: You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,” Schumer said.
After the backlash, Schumer retreated from his original remarks, claiming that he misspoke.
“Now, I should not have used the words I used yesterday. They didn’t come out the way I intended to,” he said Thursday. “Of course, I didn’t intend to suggest anything other than political and public opinion consequences for the Supreme Court.”
“I shouldn’t have used the words I did, but in no way was I making a threat. I would never do such a thing,” he added.
[Read more: Ted Cruz says Schumer ‘must be censured’ for threatening Supreme Court justices]
His comments at the rally prompted a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts, who called Schumer’s criticism “inappropriate” and “dangerous.”
“We have a behavioral problem, and I think the leaders of Congress owe it to the American people to act like adults and to not engage in shenanigans like going over in front of the Supreme Court with a rowdy mob and threatening the justices by name. That wasn’t enough of an apology to satisfy me and I don’t think any of our colleagues either,” McConnell said.
