Biden campaign co-chairman Cedric Richmond denied Thursday that presidential candidate Joe Biden is dodging questions about packing the Supreme Court, saying he’s just “not going to answer the question.”
“Yes, it’s enough. He has not dodged the question; what he has said is he’s not going to answer the question. I think that that is a difference,” Richmond told CNN’s “Out Front” when asked if Biden’s equivocating on court packing is satisfying curious voters.
Despite frequent queries, the former vice president has refused to state his position. (RELATED: Here Are 7 Times Biden And Harris Have Refused To Say Where They Stand On Court Packing)
Democratic lawmakers have a sent mixed messages on the issue. Democratic Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono called court packing “long overdue court reform.” Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has opposed the policy.
Richmond said it was President Donald Trump and Republicans who were court packing by nominating “unqualified judges … on the circuit court.”
“And you put not one African-American on the circuit court,” Richmond continued, suggesting that Trump was ignoring “poor people [and] minorities” while pretending to show concern for their welfare.
“So without showing that you respect blacks in an intellectual capacity, then you can’t tell us that you also care about our welfare.”
Returning to Biden’s position on packing the Supreme Court, Richmond said, “We will answer that question at the appropriate time. But the real thing is, we should not confirm a justice with 19 days to go before an election. And I believe the majority of the people in the country agree with that position,” he said in reference to this week’s confirmation hearing of Justice Amy Coney Barrett before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Scarborough asked. (RELATED: Democrats Threaten To Pack The Court If Republicans Nominate A Replacement For Ginsburg This Year)
The campaign co-chairman said that Biden’s town hall appearance would be like a “closing argument.” He said Biden would highlight “the incompetence” of the Trump administration in tackling the coronavirus pandemic “that caused us to lose over 215,000 people, for over 7 million people to be infected, almost 40 million people to have to file unemployment claims.”
President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the Des Moines International Airport on Oct. 14, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Richmond said Trump will be “the first president in 90 years to lose jobs on his watch,” while saying that “[former President] Barack Obama and [former Vice President] Joe Biden created 14 million [to] 16 million jobs.”
“You’ll hear facts from Joe Biden. You’ll hear lies from Donald Trump on another network.”