Despite opposition from 76 percent of Americans to choose a Supreme Court nominee by skin color, President Joe Biden is moving forward with his narrow consideration of nominees to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the bench.
Since Breyer's retirement and Biden's confirmation he will choose a black woman, Republican Senators have been critical of the process and have encouraged the examination of a broader selection of candidates.
Sen. Ted Cruz: "Racial discrimination is wrong. Period, full stop. One of the most depressing things about Democrats today, they're very comfortable discriminating based on race. ... When Joe Biden throws out a quota ... [he is] rejecting regardless of merits everybody else." pic.twitter.com/8O70wbrJVy
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 1, 2022
During a back and forth with reporters Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was asked about race quotas in his office. He responded accordingly.
REPORTER: "How many black women do you have on staff and how are they informing your decision to move forward with the SCOTUS nomination."
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 1, 2022
MCCONNELL: "Actually, I haven't checked. We don't have a racial quota in my office..."pic.twitter.com/9Kx4JZHBOm
Meanwhile, the White House is doubling down on Biden's decision and pushing back on criticism.
Psaki, responding to Senator @tedcruz's comments that Biden's race & gender requirement for his SCOTUS nominee is "offensive" to black women, suggests that Republicans are hypocritical for nominating and confirming Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who is a woman. pic.twitter.com/DITOLY4ReS
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 1, 2022