Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) met with President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Tuesday afternoon, but he didn’t seem to want to advertise it.
After welcoming Merrick Garland into his senate office, Boozman refused to allow media to enter because he did not want photo documentation of their meeting, NBC’s Luke Russert reported:
Judge Garland walks into office of Sen. Boozman (R-AR) –there’ll be no media avail as senator does not want photo pic.twitter.com/DIKALZsRj9
— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) April 5, 2016
Shortly after their conversation ended, Boozman’s office released a statement affirming that he would “not advocate for hearings or a vote” for Garland and that his position was “firm.”
The Arkansas senator explained that he held the meeting with Garland because he believed it was possible to “disagree without being disagreeable.”
Boozman has faced criticism from GOP Senate leaders and conservative activist groups like FreedomWorks for bucking the party’s hard line against meeting with any nominee put forth by President Obama. But the Arkansas senator also faces a reelection fight this year, which may explain his choice to meet with Garland despite having no intention to moving forward with the nomination process.
His refusal to pose for a photo op or speak to reporters after the meeting drew a striking contrast with how Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) handled her own Tuesday sit-down with Garland.
The Maine senator sat for photos with the nominee and told journalists gathered outside her office that their conversation made her “more convinced than ever” that the Senate should hold hearings for Garland.
