Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy asked Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Wednesday whether she hated “little warm puppies.”
Kennedy was the last member of the Senate Judiciary committee to question Barrett on her third day of hearings on Capitol Hill, and he began his time with a response to some of the questions asked by Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris. (RELATED: ‘Senator Harris Just Called You A Liar’: John Kennedy Questions Amy Coney Barrett On Her Oath)
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“Judge, let’s try to answer some of Senator Harris’ accusations,” Kennedy said. “Are you a racist?”
“I am not a racist, Senator Kennedy,” Barrett replied.
“You are sure?” Kennedy pressed again.
“I’m positive,” she affirmed.
Kennedy went on to ask whether Barrett had supported corporations over working people, and the judge pointed to her record.
“I think if you look at my record, you will see cases in which I have decided in favor of plaintiffs, not corporations,” she added.
“Are you against clean air, bright water, and environmental justice?” Kennedy asked. Barrett replied that she was not opposed to any of those things, adding that some of those issues had been dramatically improved by acts of Congress.
“Do you support science?” Kennedy pressed.
“I do,” Barrett said. “And I help my children with their homework when they try to learn it.”
“You are sure of that?” the Louisiana senator continued.
“I’m sure I believe in science and I support science,” Barrett agreed.
Kennedy went on to ask whether Judge Barrett supported children and prosperity, and she referenced her own seven children, adding, “Yes, I support prosperity.”
“Do you hate little warm puppies?” Kennedy asked in conclusion.
“I do not hate little warm puppies,” Barrett confirmed with a laugh.
“I just wanted to get all that clear. We did that in two minutes,” Kennedy concluded, but Barrett offered one last comment.
“I think that my daughter, Juliet, who’s 10, would want me to put in a plug right now to say I don’t hate chinchillas, because we don’t have a puppy in the Barrett house, but we do have a very fluffy chinchilla,” she smiled. “So I do not hate chinchillas either.”
“Duly noted,” Kennedy replied.