
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell holding a press conference. Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that blocking Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court following the death of Antonin Scalia was the most "consequential decision I’ve made in my entire public career," in an interview with Kentucky Today.
Big picture: McConnell blocking President Obama's nomination by not granting Garland a committee hearing eventually led to the appointment of Neil Gorsuch by President Trump. Instead of moving to a 5-4 balance of Democratic-appointed justices, Republican appointees maintained a majority.