The confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett are not yet underway, and Democrats are already attempting to invalidate them.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) says “a virtual hearing is virtually no hearing at all.”
Schumer: "A virtual hearing is virtually no hearing at all. You need to be with the witness and have direct cross questions, and back and forth with them."
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) October 4, 2020
It’s a pandemic. Nobody likes a pandemic. Democrats have been lecturing America for weeks on end about the need to take precautions, but now they don’t like the idea of a virtual hearing.
Schumer on Barrett: The idea of having virtual hearings where no one is with the witness for the highest court in the land for a life appointment that would have such effect on people's lives makes no sense. A virtual hearing is virtually no hearing at all.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) October 4, 2020
Has the Senate been holding hearings virtually during the coronavirus pandemic? The answer is yes. Has the Judiciary Committee been holding hearings virtually during the pandemic? The answer is also yes.
Fox News’s Chris Wallace noted that the Judiciary Committee, of which Klobuchar is a member, has held virtual hearings before and that Klobuchar earlier praised the panel's chairman, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), for arranging them. https://t.co/ApilqKTDja
— David Popp (@davidpopp) October 4, 2020
A lot of organizations have had to adjust to unusual circumstances in response to the virus.
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Lololol "a virtual hearing is no hearing at all" but tomorrow tens of millions of students will be doing virtual schooling, their parents will be doing virtual working, and the Supreme Court itself will be doing virtual oral arguments just like it did in the spring. https://t.co/Z1zgvBYMd8
— Amy Swearer (@AmySwearer) October 4, 2020
In other news, the highest court in the land will resume virtual oral arguments tomorrow for cases that would affect people's lives. https://t.co/Mh5vHBsqXV
— Rob (@2Aupdates) October 4, 2020
Democrats really need to find better arguments than this. If the rest of America can figure out how to conduct business and learning through Zoom, Congress can question a nominee through Zoom. In fact, they’ve been doing it for months. https://t.co/VyLfRY5fwp
— Aubrey Gilleran (@AubreyGilleran) October 4, 2020
If the party positions were reversed (and Democrats were trying to confirm a justice during a pandemic), where do you think Schumer and Feinstein would stand on holding virtual hearings?
The Senate has been holding virtual hearings already. That's not what this is about.
Virtual hearings rob Schumer and the left of the protest spectacle of barnstorming into elevators and Code Pink screaming and dragged from the room. That's all this is about. https://t.co/1HqvJdAACQ
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) October 4, 2020
Schumer’s not alone. Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has also made known her opposition to a virtual hearing.
It’s critical that Chairman Graham put the health of senators, the nominee and staff first – and ensure a full and fair hearing that is not rushed, not truncated, and not virtual. Otherwise this already illegitimate process will become a dangerous one.https://t.co/Q71XlWNGMW
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) October 2, 2020
The process is supposed to center around the qualifications of Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the Supreme Court, but this kind of complaint shows Senate Democrats trying to make the hearings about them.
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