Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled the news about some GOP senators testing positive for COVID-19 won’t slow down the confirmation process for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is expected to be confirmed by the end of the month.
“Once the nominee comes out of the Judiciary Committee, we will move forward to take the nomination up,” Mr. McConnell said during a press conference in his home state of Kentucky.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, has said her confirmation hearings will begin Oct. 12, and the committee could vote on the nomination the following week.
The timeline sets up a likely full Senate vote the final week of October.
The comment from the majority leader comes as Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, and the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, called for a delay in the hearings and confirmation process after President Trump and two Republican members of the Judiciary Committee tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.
“It is premature for Chairman Graham to commit to a hearing schedule when we do not know the full extent of potential exposure,” Mr. Schumer and Ms. Feinstein said in a joint statement on Friday.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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