Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer suggested President Donald Trump should change his nominee for the Supreme Court if Judge Neil Gorsuch cannot reach the 60 vote threshold. Schumer offered th<\/b>
Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer suggested President Donald Trump should change his nominee for the Supreme Court if Judge Neil Gorsuch cannot reach the 60 vote threshold.
Schumer offered the proposal on NBC\u2019s \u201c Meet the Press \u201d with Chuck Todd Sunday morning. Todd asked Schumer directly, \u201cWhy not give Neil Gorsuch an up or down vote?\u201d
Schumer responded; \u201cIt looks like Gorsuch will not reach the 60 vote margin, so instead of changing the rules, which is up to Mitch McConnell and Republican majority, why doesn\u2019t President Trump, Democrats and Republicans in Senate, sit down and try to come up with a mainstream nominee?\u201d
Schumer explained his philosophy, arguing that if Gorsuch cannot get to 60 votes, he shouldn\u2019t be confirmed. \u201cLook, when a nominee doesn\u2019t get 60 votes, you shouldn\u2019t change the rules, you should change the nominee,\u201d he told Todd.
\u201cLets just look at the history, our nominee was Merrick Garland,\u201d Schumer said in reference to former President Barack Obama\u2019s nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away suddenly in February 2016.
\u201cMitch McConnell broke 230 of precedent and didn\u2019t call him [Garland] up for a vote,\u201d Schumer said. He refuted the Senate Republican argument that they didn\u2019t bring Garland up for a vote because a Supreme Court nominee should not be confirmed so close to a presidential election. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t in the middle of an election campaign, it was March,\u201d he explained.
\u201cWe have the votes to prevent Gorsuch from getting on. Now that doesn\u2019t mean you have to change the rules. Each side did not get their nominee. lets sit down and come together,\u201d Schumer argued.
Schumer refused to confirm to Todd whether or not Senate Democrats had the votes to block Gorsuch, but said it was \u201chighly unlikely\u201d that he has the 60 votes necessary for confirmation.
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