Neil Gorsuch must have gotten a promise from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that he'll get that Supreme Court seat, even if that means McConnell blows up the filibuster on nominees for the highest court. (You might remember that McConnell declared it was practically the end of the Senate as an institution when Harry Reid and the Democrats pulled the plug on the filibuster for other nominees.) The arrogance and evasiveness that characterized his performance are indicative of his attitude to the whole process—he doesn't feel any need to cooperate in the process. Ultimately, the contempt that this partisan Republican feels toward Democrats, toward the process, shines through.
Gorsuch submitted 76 pages of answers Thursday to written questions senators asked after the conclusion of the nominee's Senate Judiciary Committee hearings last week, but remained cagey about his personal views of most of the legal questions raised, often repeating boilerplate phrases contending that it would be "improper" and "risk violating my ethical obligations as a judge" to opine on matters that could come before the court."Doesn’t surprise me," California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the committee's top Democrat, told POLITICO of the lack of clarity in Gorsuch's written answers. "That’s all I can say."
To a series of written, follow-up questions from Democrats, Gorsuch had a litany of answers running the gamut from "it would not be proper for a nominee to express views that touch on or could be perceived as touching on claims made in pending or impending litigation" to "I do not recall which specific programs or when I was read into them." That last response was to questions from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) who was attempting to get clarification on just how involved Gorsuch was in programs related to the Bush regime's torture program. Despite Gorsuch's opacity, a spokesman for Gorsuch, Ron Bonjean, said he has given senators "unprecedented access and transparency."
Tell that to Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), all Democrats and all women of color who Gorsuch has been either unwilling or unable to schedule courtesy meetings with. That's how little respect for the Senate Gorsuch has displayed.
But he's only shown disrespect and contempt for the Democrats of the Senate, and they don't count as far as the majority is concerned. That's why McConnell and team will have no problem ignoring it and blowing up the Senate to confirm him.
from Daily Kos http://ift.tt/2nPOEjJ
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