Trump Selects Court Pick to Be Revealed Tonight
MITCH MCCONNELL, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: -- the name of the federal judge? Anthony Kennedy. After President Reagan nominated then Judge Kennedy to the court in 1987, these far-left special interest groups impinged his character. They cooked up apocalyptic warnings about the terrible things that would happen to Americans if he were confirmed to the court. Of course, the American people didn't buy it and a majority of senators saw through the hyperbole and hysteria and confirmed that qualified nominee. And believe it or not, Mr. President, the sky didn't fall. It didn't fall. But decades later our Democratic colleagues still haven't tired of crying wolf whenever a Republican president nominates anyone, anyone to the Supreme Court. We have seen the same movie time after time after time. Less that be three years after Justice Kennedy's confirmation, President Bush nominated David Suter to the supreme court. Get what left groups said about him? That's right, the very same things you're hearing today. The same things you have heard from the same corners about every Supreme Court nominee named by a Republican president. One organization proclaimed that Justice Suter might undo the advances made by women, minorities and other disadvantaged groups. That was about Justice Suter. And they assailed the nomination of John Paul Stevens. They said he liked impartiality and imposed women's rights. That was said about John Paul Stevens. So, these far-left groups have been at the same scare tactics for over 40 years. The consistency is quite amazing. Decade after decade, nominee after nominee, the far-left script hardly changes at all. Anyone and everyone, a Republican president nominates is some kind of threat to the Republic. According to the hysterical press releases that inevitably follow. No matter their qualifications, no matter their record, no matter their representation, it's the same hyperbole, the same accusations, the same old story. Tonight, President Trump will announce his nominee to fill the current supreme court vacancy. We don't know who he will name, but we already know exactly what unfair tactics the nominee will face. It won't be new, and they won't be warranted. We can expect to hear how they will destroy equal rights or demolish American health care or ruin our country in some other fictional way. Justice Kennedy's resignation letter barely arrived in the president's hands before several Democratic colleagues began declaring their blanket. Opposition to anyone at all that the president might name. One Democratic senator stated she would resist any attempt to confirm any nominee this year, quote, it doesn't matter who he's putting forward. It doesn't matter who. Earlier today, another Democratic senator issued a press release declaring preemptively that he plans to oppose whomever the president nominates tonight, no matter who they are. Another of our Democratic colleagues offered this assessment. We're looking at the destruction of the Constitution of the United States as far as I can tell. It's hard to keep a straight face when you hear stuff like that. There's not even a nominee yet. Justice Kennedy just announced his retirement and they are talking about the destruction of the constitution? Please give the American people some credit. This far left rhetoric comes out every single time. But the apocalypse never comes. Americans see beyond the mongering. This kind of fear mongering they tried over and over again for 40 years. Senators should do the same. We should evaluate this president's nominee fairly based on his or her qualifications. We should treat the process with the respect and dignity that it deserves. The judiciary committee under the able leadership of Senator Grassley will hold hearings and the nomination will come to the full Senate for our consideration. One more round, one more round</s>BALDWIN: All right. So, as this is all about who the president chooses to be his next nominee, ultimately pending confirmation, the next justice of the Supreme Court, just in -- to think about legacy building not just for the president but the man you saw speaking there, the senate majority leader because he kept Merritt Garland, President Obama's choice, before he left office to be that pick. He kept him from being -- any of the hearings to happen and that, therefore, led to president Trump, led to Neil Gorsuch, the justice, which led to, for example, most recent decision on the supreme court, the upholding of the Trump travel ban. Keep that in mind, too. 9:00 eastern tonight the announcement from the east room of the White House. Quick break. We'll back here in just a moment.