Dem Sen. Markey claims Trump, McConnell 'stole two Supreme Court seats'

In an address from the Capitol on Wednesday, Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Ed Markey told onlookers that Donald Trump and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., "stole two Supreme Court seats."

"Let’s be clear, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell pulled off one of the greatest heists in the history of the United States," he said to applause. "Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell stole two Supreme Court seats from the American people."

Markey's comments referred to the GOP blockade against the nomination of Merrick Garland in 2016 after then-Majority Leader McConnell refused to allow for a hearing on the nominee.

McConnell said in a February 2016 statement, "The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice."

The GOP successfully blocked Garland's confirmation, clearing the way for President Donald Trump to appoint Justice Neil Gorsuch in 2017.

"First they created a precedent out of thin air claiming that there could be no Supreme Court confirmations during a presidential year," Markey said Wednesday. "Then just days before the 2020 presidential election, they broke their own rule … in order to confirm Amy Coney Barrett."

Barrett w... (Read more)

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