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
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’s “ Meet the Press ” with Chuck Todd Sunday morning. Todd asked Schumer directly, “Why not give Neil Gorsuch an up or down vote?”
Schumer responded; “It 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’t President Trump, Democrats and Republicans in Senate, sit down and try to come up with a mainstream nominee?”
Schumer explained his philosophy, arguing that if Gorsuch cannot get to 60 votes, he shouldn’t be confirmed. “Look, when a nominee doesn’t get 60 votes, you shouldn’t change the rules, you should change the nominee,” he told Todd.
“Lets just look at the history, our nominee was Merrick Garland,” Schumer said in reference to former President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away suddenly in February 2016.
“Mitch McConnell broke 230 of precedent and didn’t call him [Garland] up for a vote,” Schumer said. He refuted the Senate Republican argument that they didn’t bring Garland up for a vote because a Supreme Court nominee should not be confirmed so close to a presidential election. “It wasn’t in the middle of an election campaign, it was March,” he explained.
“We have the votes to prevent Gorsuch from getting on. Now that doesn’t mean you have to change the rules. Each side did not get their nominee. lets sit down and come together,” Schumer argued.
Schumer refused to confirm to Todd whether or not Senate Democrats had the votes to block Gorsuch, but said it was “highly unlikely” that he has the 60 votes necessary for confirmation.
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Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, says a filibuster would not be «out of line with Senate tradition,» while Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, says he’s confident the Supreme Court nominee will be confirmed
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, says a filibuster would not be “out of line with Senate tradition,” while Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, says he’s confident the Supreme Court nominee will be confirmed.
King, who caucuses with the Democrats, said he has not yet decided whether or not he’ll vote for Gorsuch — and that he doesn’t see a filibuster as “out of line with Senate tradition,” particularly given how Republicans blocked Judge Merrick Garland’s nomination last year.
“Last year, Merrick Garland was subjected to what I would call the grandaddy of all filibusters: not even allowed to have a hearing, much less a vote, went on for something like 11 months,” King said.
“The idea of a 60-vote requirement for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court doesn’t strike me as out of line with Senate tradition,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, has said Democrats plan to filibuster Gorsuch’s nomination, meaning he would need 60 votes in order to be confirmed. Republicans have 52 seats in the Senate, and thus far two Democrats have announced they will vote for Gorsuch : Sens. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, and Heidi Heitkamp, D-North Dakota — both facing tough reelection battles in 2018. Were Democrats to filibuster, Republicans have talked about changing the Senate rules so Gorsuch could still be confirmed.
Responding to Heitkamp’s suggestion that “two wrongs don’t make a right” when it comes to blocking Supreme Court nominees, King said something as important as a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court should have “some level” of bipartisan approval.
“What I’m suggesting is I think the 60-vote margin requires some level of bipartisanship,” he said. “And whether it’s on legislation or on a major appointment like this, that isn’t bad for the country that you have to have people and ideas that have some level of buy-in from both parties.”
Cornyn, the Senate majority whip, said he’s confident Gorsuch will be confirmed, saying Democrats’ potential filibuster would be “unprecedented in American history.” (He did not make mention of Republicans’ successful efforts to block Garland’s nomination.)
“Judge Gorsuch will be confirmed this week one way or another,” Cornyn said. “I hope the Democrats will provide the 60 votes.”
He praised Gorsuch as an ideal Supreme Court nominee, and said the only reason Democrats object to him is because he was nominated by President Donald Trump.
“Neil Gorsuch I think is the kind of nominee that our Democratic friends really haven’t been able to find any real fault with — except that he was nominated by this president,” Cornyn said.
“If they filibuster Neil Gorsuch, they’re going to filibuster everyone that this president might propose,” Cornyn added.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Gorsuch’s nomination on Monday, setting the stage for a vote in the full Senate later this week.

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Lawmakers of both parties on April 2 faced new questions on congressional probes of Russian meddling in the 2016 election after Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, offered to testify in exchange for immunity.
— Lawmakers of both parties on April 2 faced new questions on congressional probes of Russian meddling in the 2016 election after Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, offered to testify in exchange for immunity. ()

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A mother and her young daughter were killed as tornadoes hit Louisiana on Sunday.
Transcript for Southeast braces for more severe weather after tornado kills 2
We’re going to get through this no matter what it takes. That’s what’s your Rubin said her brother in law as he look at his destroyed home that took the life of his girlfriend. Preteen dots and young daughter today Allen’s leaner. The shoes river is whom. There’s my life my dog. Everything. OK can I can tell him. The house completely on its side toys furniture and pieces of their home scattered through the grass. Other mobile homes on the same oddly and left untouched. Feeling members say they knew storm front forecast this weekend but didn’t realize they would change their lives for pepper. Asking the hail falling in air in everything they never expected floor. For this actually come about happening. Can’t happen while watching two other these. I just elect a could’ve been here do something about god and gotten here earlier. The loss is tragic and those close to bring in seen in the day at cedar gonna take it one day at a time and used this heartbreak. To remind and to treasure the time they have laughed with their loved. We’re gonna. Be a close affair me. Can always be there for each others know what everybody to know that contributed to exceed. The kitchen chairman of the key to kids. Called him wherever they ask is tomorrow love you Chris he never know we d.s freak storms you never know Wendy. In brokerage I don’t Hatfield AT CTV three.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

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