As Republicans mull whether or not to fill the new vacancy on the Supreme Court that opened up after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, Congressional Democrats are urging their colleagues to hold the seat open until after the election.
On Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Democrats in the lower chamber may take action if President Donald Trump tries to confirm a nominee in a lame-duck session, as IJR reported.
“We have our options; we have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now. But the fact is, we have a big challenge in our country. This president has threatened to not even accept the results of the election with statements that he and his henchmen have made,” Pelosi said.
However, she did not rule out impeaching Trump again to prevent him from pushing through a confirmation after potential electoral defeat.
“We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now,” Pelosi tells @GStephanopoulos when pressed on what Democrats would do if Republicans move to confirm a Trump SCOTUS pick in a lame duck session if Biden wins. https://t.co/FIvnhfahWK pic.twitter.com/55i2KuREx9
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 20, 2020
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says he would move to oust Pelosi from her post if Democrats launched another impeachment effort.
During a press conference on Wednesday, McCarthy said, “The president is supposed to move forward, and they will. The Senate is supposed to take the action, and they will. It’s their constitutional right, and they are following through.”
“And I will make you this one promise, listening to the speaker on television this weekend, if she tries to move for an impeachment based upon the president following the Constitution. I think there will be a move on the floor to have her no longer or the question of her being speaker,” he continued.
He added, “She may think she has a quiver, we do too.”
Watch the moment below (starting at 15:00):
Finally, McCarthy clarified that House Republicans would take “the movement to remove her from speakership.”
The House passed two articles of impeachment against Trump in December 2019, for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. However, the Senate voted to acquit him of both charges.
Despite the Democrats’ objections, Trump said he plans to announce his nominee to replace Ginsburg on Saturday and expressed his desire for the Senate to hold a confirmation vote before the election.
