Republican Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) has never been the biggest fan of President Trump, but on Thursday he took Trump trolling to a whole new level. In a tweet, Lee proposed that Trump should replace fired FBI Director James Comey with former President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee who never got a hearing, Merrick Garland:
Lee's spokesman reportedly clarified that the tweet was not a joke.
For the record, Lee — one of the few Republican senators who never endorsed Trump — was never onboard with giving Garland a shot. Lee defended the Republican Party's refusal to grant Obama's nominee a hearing, and even went so far as to suggest that Garland should not get a hearing if Hillary Clinton were to win the White House.
Subscribe to 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.
The New York Times placed Lee in the column of lawmakers who are either "neutral" about or "support" Trump's abrupt decision Tuesday to fire Comey. Lee has said that "the real test now is finding a candidate that can restore trust in the FBI." Apparently, Lee is now convinced that candidate is Garland.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.