Schumer Calls Gorsuch Confirmation ‘Unseemly’ Because Of FBI Probe

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y. arrives to speak with reporters about his opposition to Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, Tuesday, March 21, 2107, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Tuesday that it was “unseemly” to move quickly forward with the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, given that President Donald Trump’s campaign is under investigation for its potential ties to Russia during the 2016 campaign.

“I’d like to point out that it is the height of irony that Republicans held this Supreme Court seat open for nearly a calendar year while President Obama was in office, but are now rushing to fill the seat for a President whose campaign is under investigation by the F.B.I.” Schumer said on the Senate floor.

“Even Rep. Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said the investigation, confirmed yesterday by F.B.I. Director Comey, puts a ‘big gray cloud’ over this administration,” he continued. “You can bet if the shoe were on the other foot and a Democratic president was under investigation by the F.B.I., the Republicans would be howling at the moon about filling a Supreme Court seat in such circumstances.”

In fact, FBI Director James Comey confirmed that the bureau was investigating “the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election,” including “the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.”

Comey refused to say whether Trump himself, or any individual affiliated with the campaign, was under investigation.

“It is unseemly to be moving forward so fast on confirming a Supreme Court justice with a lifetime appointment while this big gray, gray cloud of an F.B.I. investigation hangs over the presidency,” Schumer said.

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  1. “You can bet if the shoe were on the other foot and a Democratic president was under investigation by the F.B.I., the Republicans would be howling at the moon about filling a Supreme Court seat in such circumstances.”

    Well yes ,yes they would
    Democrats CRICKETS!!!
    Anybody else annoyed???
    unseemly???

  2. Tell ya what.
    Let’s wait until after all of this Russia flap, trump’s conflicts of interests and his lies are put to bed before we confirm Gorsuch…OK. I mean it’s unseemly to confirm now, especially when the support of the voters is soft. We need to hear their voices don’t we? So, lets wait until after the 2018 elections when we have a clean way forward as a country shall we?

    {{{grumble}}} (kicks stone and walks away)

  3. Avatar for darcy darcy says:

    If ‘unseemly’ can get these confirmation hearings delayed for three months, let’s go with ‘unseemly’.

    Come on Director Comey, put a little giddyup in getting to perp walking the prez. Then everything stops.

  4. More of this, please! Much more, actually!

    But is “unseemly” really the best word you can come up with? Really?

  5. Good move by Schumer. Now all 48 Senators can filibuster and claim that in addition to their opposition to Gorsuch, the whole process is tainted by the fact that this judicial candidate is being appointed by a potential felon and a ‘justice Gorsuch’ would have a potential conflict of interest in any proceeding involving Trump and/or his administration. Of course the McConnell will kill the filibuster and this guy will be confirmed but he will carry the Trump stench forever.

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