Remember when obstructionism was considered bad?
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sunday he will absolutely block President Trump‘s pick for the vacant Supreme Court seat if the nominee is not “mainstream” enough.
“If the nominee is not bipartisan and mainstream, we absolutely will keep the seat open,” Schumer told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
The New York Democrat, who was booed during a speech at Trump’s inauguration, had previously criticized his Republican colleagues for blocking former President Obama‘s nominee, Merrick Garland, last year.
Trump has said he plans to announce his pick to succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia in the next two weeks. He released a short list of potential nominees last summer, one of whom he met with shortly before entering office.
This is one of the areas where Trump does have a mandate. He was very clear about his potential Supreme Court picks during the campaign and it was heavily reported. He even published a list. As long as his nominee comes off of that list, he or she should be confirmed.
Of course, none of that matters to Schumer.