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u.s. news Dialuna 12 OctOber 2020

Graham, Harris share spotlight as Barrett hearings begin

(AP) — Senate Republicans are tion, adding that voters should “use for her aggressive questioning of Ka- "we should not be racing ahead with
vowing a quick confirmation for my words against me” if he changed vanaugh in 2018. Those hearings, at this partisan process.''
President Donald Trump’s Su- his mind. "How good is your word?” which Harris played a starring role, Coons told MSNBC that he has
preme Court nominee, as the Harrison asked at a debate last week. drew more than 20 million viewers. been reading Barrett's opinions and
party — undeterred by corona- Graham said Barrett “is going to be Harris plans to participate remotely law articles, "and I’m increasingly
virus infections or other distrac- confirmed because the president has from her Senate office due to coro- convinced that she’s even more con-
tions — rushes to put conserva- the constitutional authority to do it.” navirus concerns, her spokesman said servative than (former) Justice (An-
tive Judge Amy Coney Barrett on He called Barrett a “buffer to liber- Sunday. Harris and other key Dem- tonin) Scalia, for whom she clerked
the high court before the Nov. 3 alism” and said he hoped she “won’t ocrats said the hearings should not on the Supreme Court, and she has
election. be treated like Kavanaugh.” Graham’s move forward without plans to test demonstrated a willingness to re-
fiery 2018 defense of Kavanaugh people attending, including senators, verse long-settled precedent.'' Voters
The process starts Monday with helped cement the senator's close re- for coronavirus. should remember that Trump has
hearings before the Senate Judiciary lationship with Trump and generated Successful questioning of Barrett said the reason he is "pressing for her
Committee. The hearings are likely renewed support from conservatives. could boost the Biden-Harris tick- to be seated before the election was so
to be a hybrid of in-person question- Graham's actions also riled up liber- et, but missteps could risk harming that she could participate in decisions
ing and some participation via video als, who are now pouring millions of Democrats' chances of winning an about the election, if it is closely con-
after three GOP senators — includ- dollars into Harrison’s campaign and election they now lead in national tested, and so she could help overturn
ing two on the committee — con- working to oust the GOP senator. polls. “I think there’s probably more the Affordable Care Act,'' Coons said.
tracted the virus. Sen. Dianne feinstein, d-calif. pressure on Kamala to actually engage “A vote for Judge Barrett is a vote to
The GOP-led panel has held more As top Democrat on the Judiciary ... in a political way than ever before repeal the Affordable Care Act,'' he
than 20 hearings during the pandem- panel, the veteran Feinstein will lead just because of the fact that she’s on said. ”That’s what I’ll be trying to lay
ic as Senate Majority Leader Mitch questioning of Barrett, although she the ticket" with Biden, White House bare in the upcoming hearings.''
McConnell continues his drive to may cede the spotlight to fellow Cali- chief of staff Mark Meadows said. Sens. Mike lee, r-utah, and thom til-
confirm conservative judges. The fornia Sen. Kamala Harris, a commit- In a sign of the heightened scrutiny, lis, r-n.c.
hearings have all had a combination tee member and the party's vice presi- Vice President Mike Pence tried to Lee and Tillis both contracted the
of in-person and remote questioning. dential nominee. get Harris to reveal whether she and novel coronavirus and are in self-
Some outside groups have pushed At 87, Feinstein is the oldest sitting Biden support expanding the Su- quarantine as the hearings approach.
for Democratic senators to boycott senator, and some Democrats worry preme Court, as many liberals advo- Both attended a Sept. 26 Rose Gar-
the Barrett hearings to protest the she may have lost some of her effec- cate. Harris dodged the question at den ceremony in Barrett's honor that
accelerated confirmation process tiveness as a questioner. Feinstein still their debate, focusing instead on Re- seems to have been a major spreader
and remind voters of Republicans' faces criticism for her comments dur- publicans’ decision to move forward of the virus. Tillis said he expects to
refusal to consider President Barack ing Barrett’s 2017 confirmation hear- to fill the current vacancy so close to participate in at least some of the con-
Obama's Supreme Court nominee in ing to be a federal judge. Feinstein an election. firmation hearings remotely but be-
2016, but those pleas were ignored. had joined Republicans on the panel lieves he will be cleared to return to
Still, some Democrats have refused in asking Barrett about her Roman Sen. Josh hawley, r-mo. the Capitol in person for an expected
to meet with Barrett and the hearings Catholic faith, but then went further Hawley, a conservative and outspo- Oct. 22 committee vote on her nomi-
are likely to be contentious, although by telling Barrett, then a Notre Dame ken critic of the Supreme Court’s nation.
not as explosive as hearings two years law professor, that “when you read Roe v. Wade decision upholding Tillis, like Graham, is in a tight re-
ago to consider Brett Kavanaugh, your speeches, the conclusion one abortion rights, has led GOP efforts election race and pledged to sup-
who was confirmed. draws is that the dogma lives loudly to warn Democrats to refrain from port Trump's nominee even before
Unable to block Trump’s pick on within you.'' criticizing Barrett on the basis of her Barrett's name was announced. He
their own, Democrats argue that Bar- Republicans have seized on Fein- Catholicism. said he does not have symptoms and
rett’s confirmation would threaten stein's question to accuse Democrats Hawley specifically cited Feinstein's could join hearings in person later in
protections of the Affordable Care of criticizing Barrett's faith a charge comments about Barrett’s faith dur- the week. Democrats have warned
Act — a focus that Democratic presi- Democrats vigorously deny. ing her 2017 nomination hearing for that appearing in person could put
dential nominee Joe Biden has em- Senate Democratic leader Chuck a Chicago-based appeals court post. other senators and staffers at risk.
braced and many Democrats see as Schumer said there’s no “religious “I call on you and every member They are urging Graham to require
a winning message. The court will litmus test” for a judge, nor any truth of the Democratic caucus to pub- COVID-19 testing of all senators.
hear a case challenging the constitu- to the idea that Democrats oppose licly reject Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s
tionality of Obama’s health care law judicial candidates because of their egregious personal attacks on Judge Lee, a conservative who has praised
just after the election, adding to the religion. “Not a single Democrat will Barrett’s Christian faith during her Barrett, has said he expects to be "back
urgency of the issue. make these attacks or make personal, previous confirmation hearings, and to work in time to join my colleagues
Conservative groups have been push- religious beliefs an issue,'' Schumer to pledge you will abstain from that in advancing” her nomination.
ing hard for Barrett's confirmation said. kind of anti-Catholic, anti-Christian,
and are expected to spend more than Feinstein led Democrats in calling on anti-faith vitriol in the hearings to Sen. Mazie hirono, d-hawaii
$10 million to drum up support for Barrett to provide any missing mate- come,” Hawley wrote in a letter to Hirono, one of the most liberal mem-
her and pressure senators to swift- rials from a questionnaire she com- Schumer last month. “You owe it to bers of the Senate, said she will focus
ly confirm Trump's third Supreme pleted for her confirmation. Barrett the country.'' on the health care law and possible
Court nominee. signed a 2006 newspaper ad spon- Democrats call Hawley's comments consequences of a more conservative
Senators to watch as the four-day sored by an anti-abortion group in off-base. No Democrat has criticized Supreme Court rolling back repro-
hearings kick off at the Capitol com- which she said she opposed “abortion Barrett's religion since her nomina- ductive rights or overturning Roe v.
plex: on demand” and defended “the right tion was announced late last month. Wade. In just three years on the 7th
to life from fertilization to the end of Circuit, Barrett has twice argued for
Senate judiciary chairman lind- natural life.” Sen. Chris coons, d-del. approval of abortion restrictions that
sey graham, r-s.c. The ad was not included in materi- A longtime Biden loyalist who holds violated Supreme Court precedent,
At the helm of a process that will in- als Barrett provided to the Judiciary the Democratic presidential nomi- Hirono said.
clude days of televised hearings, Gra- panel. Feinstein and other Demo- nee's former Senate seat, Coons was “Amy Barrett has a history of anti-
ham will be in the national spotlight, crats asked the Justice Department among the first Democrats on the choice advocacy and a demonstrated
a position he has said may benefit his to explain the omission and confirm Judiciary panel to meet with Barrett, lack of respect for precedent,'' Hi-
own political standing. Graham is whether other materials were left out. although he did so by phone because rono said, adding that Barrett "is be-
locked in a tight race for reelection Sen. Kamala harris, d-calif. of the pandemic. ing pushed on to the Supreme Court
against Democratic challenger Jaime Harris, Joe Biden's running mate in Coons said he would attend the hear- just in time for the November 10th
Harrison that has featured record- the presidential election, will again ings in person, although other mem- hearing on the Affordable Care Act,
breaking fundraising and accusations be in the spotlight as Democrats bers with health concerns will likely where she’ll be expected to be among
of hypocrisy. question a Trump nominee for the ask questions over video. The remote those who strike the Affordable Care
Graham said four years ago that a Supreme Court. Harris, a former aspect “increases the likelihood that Act down. That leaves millions and
judicial nominee should not be ap- prosecutor and state attorney general, we’re sort of speaking past each oth- millions of families totally in the cold
proved just before a presidential elec- earned high marks from Democrats er,” Coons said, and is a key reason in regard to health care.''