In a recent video hosted with Facebook, The Young Turks featured comments by U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell with regard to the decision of Democrats to refrain from confirming President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Host Ana Kasparian noted that, during the administration of former President Barack Obama, Republicans had no qualms with holding up the nomination of Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, for more than a year. Ms. Kasparian reports that Republicans need to sway eight Democrats to vote for Gorsuch in order for him to be confirmed.
TYT played a clip of Mitch McConnell speaking, citing that he had not observed any Democrats, at all, who were willing to vote for the Trump nominee. The senator asked if it was possible for any judge nominated "by a Republican president" to get 60 votes, the required number for confirmation. McConnell asked if Democrats held the view that the vacant Supreme Court seat should "never be filled." He held up a seemingly absurd claim that Democrats were "complaining" about the vacancy in 2016, when it was Republicans who were responsible for it, seemingly suggesting that now that a Republican nominee is being considered they should be in favor of "closure."
Democratic Supreme Court nominee held up for over a year
The TYT host noted that the Republicans refused to "even have a hearing for him," referring to Merrick Garland.
Cenk Uygur, TYT founder, asked who is going to question Republicans with regard to their "shame." He noted that Mitch McConnell has stated that "he would block any justice under Obama, indefinitely," and described the senator as "pretending to be outraged." Mr. Uygur compared the Republicans holding up Merrick Garland's confirmation for over a year with their seeming outrage over Democrats holding up Neil Gorsuch's confirmation "for one minute."
Ana Kasparian explained how, during the 2016 presidential campaign, many Republicans didn't believe that Donald Trump had a chance to win the election.
This would have meant that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would have been in the White House, and Republicans would have been looking at another another four years of Democratic Supreme Court nominees. As a result, many spoke about their plans for Supreme Court nominee voting publicly.
Republicans planned on Democrat in the White House
A clip of U.S. Senator from Arizona John McCain pledging that Republicans would be "united" against any of Hillary Clinton's nominees was played. U.S. Senator from Texas Ted Cruz stated that there is a "precedent" for leaving the seat empty. U.S. Senator from North Carolina Richard Burr pledged that, if Clinton was elected, he would do everything in his power to ensure the seat was still vacant at the end of her term.
Cenk Uygur cited annoyance with members of the press who fail to "point out that the Republicans are giant hypocrites on this." He scolded the media, describing how some outlets hold up current statements from Republicans and Democrats as being "equal," without reporting that Republicans threatened to allow the Supreme Court seat to remain empty indefinitely. He also expressed his view that a filibuster by Democrats to stop the confirmation of Trump's nominee was "very likely."
