Lots of folks are pointing out that Sen. Chuck Schumer’s rhetoric today on why the GOP needs to act quickly on President Obama’s pick to replace Justice Anonin Scalia is a tad hypocritical as Schumer was very vocal in opposing President George W. Bush’s judicial nominees in the last year of Bush’s presidency.
First up, here’s Sen. Schumer from today:
WATCH: @SenSchumer: "Show me the clause that says the president is only president for three years." https://t.co/RSy8SIjB6c #ThisWeek
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 14, 2016
And now here’s Sen. Schumer in 2007:
@instapundit @ron_fournier Schumer wanted to block any Bush picks in July 2007 pic.twitter.com/h1qyHl0nvh
— Gray Connolly (@GrayConnolly) February 14, 2016
Flashback: In 2007, Schumer called for blocking all Bush Supreme Court nominations https://t.co/5uwxe96EKJ pic.twitter.com/idwfFK8BC7
— Jack Furnari (@JackBPR) February 14, 2016
https://twitter.com/BACCV/status/699023190098644992
However, Sen. Schumer’s spokesman Matt House says Sen. Schumer advocating the exact same thing with Bush’s nominees in 2007 — including a SCOTUS vacancy — is not the same thing as what the GOP is proposing to do now.
Republicans arguing that Schumer's '07 speech validates their current #SCOTUS obstruction haven't actually read the speech
— Matt House (@mattwhouse) February 15, 2016
Schumer argues against presuming confirmation, not for completely avoiding the Senate's duty & refusing to take up a nominee as GOP is now
— Matt House (@mattwhouse) February 15, 2016
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Schumer's opposition to a certain type of nominee applied to end of Bush presidency OR other GOP presidents making similar picks
— Matt House (@mattwhouse) February 15, 2016
Schumer's remarks were limited to an extreme nominee who obfuscated at hearings, not blanket opposition to any person a president might name
— Matt House (@mattwhouse) February 15, 2016
Read all of @SenSchumer's 2007 speech on judicial nominees here: https://t.co/hCSGgWNB9n
— Matt House (@mattwhouse) February 15, 2016
Schumer ended that speech with, “Consider the Constitutional harm and ‘dramatic departures’ that are in store if those few are joined by just one more ideological ally. I will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening.”
Guess what? And now GOP Senators will do “everything” in their power to keep Obama’s nominee off the bench. Funny how that works.
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