Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling for the hearing on Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch to be postponed until the Trump administration is no longer under investigation by the FBI for alleged ties to the Russian government.
Warren gave her request in a series of tweets posted on Tuesday evening, pointing out the absurdity of holding the Supreme Court hearing after the FBI revealed they were investigating the Trump campaign.
“But is the Senate really going to pretend there’s no cloud over
@realDonaldTrump & move on w/ the Gorsuch nomination like things are normal? . . . Lifetime appointments can wait.”
But is the Senate really going to pretend there’s no cloud over @realDonaldTrump & move on w/ the Gorsuch nomination like things are normal?
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 21, 2017
The FBI Director testified @realDonaldTrump‘s campaign is under investigation for collusion w/ Russia. Lifetime court appointments can wait.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 21, 2017
Warren’s plea makes complete sense. An FBI investigation of a sitting president is a serious thing, and indicative that the POTUS may not be qualified to be making important long-lasting decisions if he himself might not be long for the office. If Gorsuch is confirmed – a high likelihood if a vote is held – he will reign in the Supreme Court for several decades. After all, he is relatively young at 49 years old, a legitimate concern for a lifetime appointment.
While Warren’s request is more than appropriate, it is one that does not appear to be gaining much steam. Despite Republican refusal to even hold a hearing on Obama-era nominee Merrick Garland, Democrats have gone along peacefully so far through hours of Gorsuch’s confirmation testimony.
Warren must work with her Democratic colleagues to push back harder on Gorsuch and ensure that Merrick Garland’s SCOTUS seat is not taken by a corporatist with a silver tongue – especially if the man who nominated him isn’t long for this government.
