McConnell issues final warning to Democrats on ‘nuclear option’

Published April 6, 2017 2:48pm ET



Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday delivered a final warning to Democrats who planned to block Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch in an 11 a.m. vote, and said if that happens, they’d be responsible for triggering a rule change in the Senate known as the “nuclear option.”

“If you truly cannot support the nomination of this uniquely qualified nominee, then at least allow a bipartisan majority of the Senate that supports Gorsuch to take an up or down vote,” McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor. “You already deployed the nuclear option in 2013. Don’t trigger it again in 2017.”

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