“I cannot assist the affirmation of any Supreme Court docket justice nominee, no matter who it may be. I cannot assist that nominee earlier than the result of the November Three election has been decided,” mentioned Jones throughout a Fb livestream.
“We must always not pressure the nation right into a brutal and divisive partisan battle to verify a Supreme Court docket justice … whereas People are already voting to decide on their subsequent president,” Jones added.
Jones criticized Trump and Senate Majority Chief Mitch McConnell for what he described as dashing a nomination to interchange the late Supreme Court docket Justice Ruth Ginsburg, who died every week in the past, calling the nomination course of a “blatant political energy seize.” McConnell introduced hours after Ginsburg’s demise that he’ll maintain a vote on Trump’s nominee on the Senate flooring, and a number of other high-profile Republicans — together with Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — have dedicated to holding a Senate vote earlier than Election Day, November 3.
Jones added: “Energy grabs usually are not unusual in our political system, however few are accompanied by such blatant hypocrisy,” a reference to how McConnell refused to advance the nomination of then-President Barack Obama’s judicial decide Merrick Garland in 2016.
“This new effort by Senator McConnell might be a tear within the material of our authorities that could be irreparable,” he mentioned.
McConnell doesn’t seem to want the assist of any Democrats to advance the nomination. As Republicans maintain 53 seats, the bulk chief can lose three and nonetheless affirm the nominee with a 50-50 tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. To this point solely two GOP senators — Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — have mentioned they’re going to oppose advancing Trump’s nominee forward of Election Day.
Jones mentioned it is turn into clear his hope for a few of his Republican colleagues to face up “might be dashed,” acknowledging nevertheless the resistance from Murkowski and Collins.
“There are already sufficient dedicated Republicans to verify President Trump’s nominee, no matter who it’ll be … The end result is baked in, and it’ll occur within the latter a part of October,” he mentioned.
A average Democrat in one of many hardest reelection fights this cycle, Jones mentioned that whereas his vote on Trump’s nominee is not going to have an effect on the result, it is not going to be inconsequential.
