House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN’s “State of the Union” that she doesn’t “see any equivalence” between whether Merrick Garland “was owed a vote” in 2016 and the confirmation process Amy Coney Barrett faces.
Democrats have accused Republicans of hypocrisy for failing to give a hearing to President Barack Obama’s pick to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, while Republicans point to the fact that the Senate and White House were split in 2016. On the topic of Barrett’s confirmation, CNN anchor Jake Tapper referred to Pelosi saying Republicans were showing a “disrespect for the Constitution” in 2016.
“You said that Judge Garland was, quote, ‘owed a vote in the Senate.’ If Judge Garland was owed a vote, then isn’t Judge Barrett owed one as well?” Tapper asked.
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“Well, wait a second. When did Justice Scalia pass away?” Pelosi asked.
“February,” Tapper responded. (RELATED: Chuck Schumer Says Ginsburg Is ‘Turning Over In Her Grave Up In Heaven’ Over Barrett Pick)
“Yes, February,” she said. “This is now September. So, the time frame is quite different that this court would go that long a time without a justice. So I don’t see any equivalence in what you’re presenting.”
Earlier in the interview, Pelosi refused to directly answer a question from Tapper about Barrett’s Supreme Court qualifications, saying it’s “up to the Senate to decide.”