Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Judge Neil Gorsuch will be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court this week even if Senate Democrats try to filibuster his confirmation vote.
“What I can tell you is that Neil Gorsuch will be confirmed this week,” Mr. McConnell said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “How that happens really depends on our Democratic friends.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, has said his party will filibuster the confirmation vote. Mr. McConnell said there is no precedent for such an act in American history.
“Never happened before in history, in the whole history of the country,” he said. “In fact, filibustering justices is a rather recent phenomenon, started by your next guest, Sen. Schumer, after George Bush 43 got elected president. We didn’t used to do this. Clarence Thomas was confirmed 52 to 48 — the most controversial Supreme Court nomination in history — and not a single senator said he had to get 60 votes.”
The Kentucky Republican also said he does not regret refusing to hold a confirmation vote over the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland, who was tabbed for the highest court by former president Barack Obama last year.
“Everyone knew including former President Obama’s former White House counsel, if the shoe had been on the other foot, they wouldn’t have filled a Republican president’s vacant seat in the middle of a presidential election,” Mr. McConnell said. “That clearly wasn’t going to happen, even if the roles were reversed.”
• Bradford Richardson can be reached at brichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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