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Oct 12, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Klobuchar: There's no "secret, clever, procedural way to stop" Barrett confirmation

Axios

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) acknowledged on Monday that Democrats do not have "some secret, clever, procedural way to stop" the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, arguing that the only way for Americans to "change the trajectory of this nomination" is by voting.

The big picture: Klobuchar and other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee used day one of Barrett's confirmation hearings to criticize the process of rushing through a nomination after voting in the 2020 election has already begun, attacking it as a "sham" and "illegitimate."

  • They also painted Barrett's confirmation as a proxy fight for health care, with a number of Democratic senators displaying posters of constituents who have benefited from protections under the Affordable Care Act.
  • The Supreme Court is set to hear a case seeking to invalidate the ACA on Nov. 10. Klobuchar argued that "you don't have to be a lawyer or a senator to figure out" that Barrett was nominated to help President Trump overturn the Affordable Care Act.

What they're saying: "My point today is, you cannot divorce this nominee from the moment we're in, in time. And that we do not have some secret, clever, procedural way to stop this sham. Let's be honest," Klobuchar told reporters after Monday's hearing.

  • "And as good as we are, it's probably not going to be some brilliant cross-examination that is going to change the trajectory of this nomination, but there is one thing that will. And that is the people of this country, that is them voting, that is them understanding exactly what the Republican Party and this administration are doing right now and how it's going to affect their lives."
  • "Because this is not Donald Trump's country. This is your country, America's country, and this should not be Donald Trump's judge. It should be your judge."

The other side: Republicans on the Judiciary Committee largely used Monday's hearing to praise Barrett's legal record and personal story.

Go deeper: Where Amy Coney Barrett stands on the biggest issues

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