Mitch McConnell: President Trump’s Nominee to Replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Will Receive Senate Vote

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Friday night that the Senate would vote to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court after her death.

“President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” McConnell wrote in a statement sent to reporters.

McConnell announced his decision after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued that Trump should not replace her until after the election.

“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice, “Schumer wrote on Twitter. “Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.”

Ginsburg’s  granddaughter, Clara Spera, said that Ginsburg dictated to her that her “most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”

But McConnell cited historical precedence for his decision.

“Since the 1880s, no Senate has confirmed an opposite-party president’s Supreme Court nominee in a presidential election year,” McConnell wrote.

Referring to his refusal to sit former President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016, McConnell noted that the Republican Senate was elected to the majority to check Obama’s power at the end of his second term.

“We kept our promise,” McConnell said. “By contrast, Americans reelected our majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda, particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary. Once again, we will keep our promise.”