This is becoming embarrassing. Yesterday Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that a vote on Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, should be delayed until the FBI has concluded its investigation of the Trump campaign and its possible ties to Russia, an allegation that has yet to be substantiated by evidence (via The Hill):
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is urging Republicans to delay a vote on Neil Gorsuch, President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, because of an ongoing investigation into potential ties between Trump officials and Russia."It is unseemly to be moving forward so fast on confirming a Supreme Court justice with a lifetime appointment while this big gray cloud of an FBI investigation hangs over the presidency," the Senate's top Democrat said, echoing language used the day before by Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (Calif.).
Schumer's request, which is unlikely to gain traction with Republicans, comes as Gorsuch is into his second day before the Judiciary Committee. The committee is expected to vote on his nomination by April 3, with a full Senate vote following within days.
But the the New York Democrat argued that it was "the height of irony" that Republicans blocked then-President Obama from filling the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Justice Antonin Scalia's death in 2016 but are "now rushing" to confirm Gorsuch.
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The Democrats have nothing. They know they can’t block Gorsuch. Nine Democrats have already voiced their support for a hearing and a vote. They’ve also said they would not support a filibuster of the nominee. As E. Donald Elliott, a Yale law professor, wrote in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal back in February, “One way or another, Judge Gorsuch is going to be confirmed. The question is how much damage will be done to the country first.”
Democrats are requiring 60 votes for Gorsuch, though if nine Democrats vote to invoke cloture, given their support for an up-or-down vote, then that’s the ball game. Cloture was included in this pseudo-60-vote threshold being pushed by Senate Democrats. Frankly, after today’s hearing, Senate Democrats literally have nothing, which is why they’re acting nuts because a) I still think they’re sour over Senate Republicans successfully blocking Merrick Garland (Thank you, Joe Biden); and b) the progressive Left would start shooting inside the ship if they don’t look as if they’re doing much to oppose Gorsuch. Concerning political reality, the Democrats can’t wage total war. So, they need to put on a show.
One of them is acting like Joe Biden was never senator so they can disregard the Biden Rule, which stated no Supreme Court nomination should be considered during an election year, to justify leaving that seat open. Odd since when the GOP blocked Garland’s nomination, Democrats thought the entire judicial system would collapse. That’s not going to happen. Gorsuch is going to be confirmed either through the usual process or nuclear power.
Oh, and Liz Warren thinks we should delay, so you know the GOP is totally going to consider this now (sarc).
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