IN CASE YOU MISSED IT… Sen. Rick Scott in USA Today: Democrats, not Republicans, are Hypocrites on Filling SCOTUS Seat

September 25, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, Senator Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for USA Today on how the Democrats are changing their tune for partisan purposes and threatening to block a Supreme Court nomination without even knowing who the nominee will be.

In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott wrote, “…The American people elected a Republican Senate in 2014 to be a check on the Obama/Biden administration. Senate Republicans rightly argued in 2016 that they have a responsibility to reflect the will of the voters and withhold consent for the nomination of Garland until the voters had another opportunity to let their voices be heard at the ballot box.

Republicans were clear: this rule came into play when the White House and the Senate were controlled by different parties.

With the death of Justice Ginsburg, we’re faced with another political battle over a vacant Supreme Court seat. Unlike 2016, the White House and the Senate are both controlled by Republicans. I believe we have a duty and responsibility to hold hearings and a confirmation vote on President Trump’s nominee.

The Democrats and their allies in the media are already howling with claims of hypocrisy. But Republicans have consistently noted the difference between 2016 and 2020. In 2016 there was divided government. In 2020, Republicans control the White House and the Senate.

In the closing paragraph of former President Obama’s 2020 statement, he says unequivocally that “A basic principle of the law — and of everyday fairness — is that we apply rules with consistency, and not based on what’s convenient or advantageous in the moment.”

He, no doubt, intended these words to be directed at Republicans, but it’s the Democrats whose arguments are dripping with hypocrisy. They’re changing their tune for partisan purposes and threatening to block a Supreme Court nomination without even knowing who the nominee will be.

Elections have consequences. The American people elected President Trump and a Republican Senate knowing full-well that multiple seats on the Supreme Court could be at stake. What we’re doing is exactly what the voters and the constitution prescribed.

If Senate Democrats don’t like that, win more elections.”

Read the full op-ed in USA Today HERE.

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