As confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch entered their third day Wednesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) continued his consistent pleas against politicizing the judiciary process. Graham began by noting Gorsuch's stated dislike for "anyone" criticizing the integrity of a federal judge — Gorsuch has called such comments, similar to ones made recently by President Trump, "disheartening and demoralizing" — and said he agreed with Gorsuch that such speech is "out of bounds."
Then, Graham turned his sights from Trump to his Democratic counterparts on Capitol Hill. He read statements from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) that were critical of Gorsuch, and noted the apparent hypocrisy:
Graham criticized the apparent "double standard" by Democrats between nominees chosen by a Democratic president versus a Republican president, pointing out that he voted for former President Barack Obama's two nominees, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, because they were qualified, not because they would advance his preferred agenda. "What more can you ask for?" Graham asked his Democratic peers:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), whose questioning followed Graham's, was quick to note Obama actually nominated three judges to the Supreme Court — Sotomayor, Kagan, and Judge Merrick Garland — and that Graham did not in fact vote for all of Obama's nominees, as Senate Republicans refused to give Garland a hearing. Gorsuch is nominated for the same seat Garland was tapped to fill by Obama.
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revoltSpeed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich throwerSpeed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodusSpeed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official saysSpeed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judgesSpeed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policingSpeed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa CookSpeed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportationSpeed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda
