Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell argued Tuesday that Democrats have been co-opted by the far left and are treating Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh like a congressional candidate in warning that his views on abortion and other issues that would threaten his impartiality on the bench.
McConnell, in a floor speech about Kavanaugh, said Democrats opposed the nominee before President Trump announced his name.
“This is a telltale sign that some of our colleagues are throwing thoughtful independent judgment out the window and are outsourcing their thinking on this matter to far-left special interest groups,” McConnell, R-Ky., said.
McConnell argued Democrats should not call on Kavanaugh to disclose how he would rule on the bench, a standard which he noted has been applied to past nominees.
[Also read: Abortion rights groups quickly oppose Supreme Court nominee]
McConnell quoted Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who said judges should “offer no forecast, no hints for that would show not only disregard for the specifics of the particular case, it would display disdain for the entire judicial process.”
McConnell blamed “far-left” groups for pushing Senate Democrats to demand Kavanaugh answer questions about how he would decide cases.
“Judge Kavanaugh has built a long and distinguished record,” McConnell said, whose judicial view “reflects a firm understanding that judges much interpret laws as they are written.”
Shortly after McConnell left the Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., urged the Senate to block Kavanaugh, which he said would lead to “a more moderate” selection that both parties can support.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke after Schumer and said he disagreed with the call to block Kavanaugh, calling him “everything you’d want on the bench.”
