Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) told supporters over the weekend that if Hillary Clinton is elected president he is going to work overtime to ensure she will not be able to move forward with a Supreme Court justice, according to audio obtained by CNN.
“If Hillary Clinton becomes president, I am going to do everything I can do to make sure four years from now, we still got an opening on the Supreme Court,” Burr said, according to CNN.
Burr also told supporters in the recording that President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland didn’t have a chance of being confirmed in the lame duck session of Congress.
“My answer to you would be it isn’t going to happen — period,” Burr said, according to CNN.
Burr’s comments about a permanent blockade of the Supreme Court echo that of other lawmakers including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who argued last week that the court didn’t need a ninth justice. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) also said that he was going to do everything he could to stop Clinton from getting a Supreme Court justice confirmed if she were elected.
Burr also raised eyebrows for saying at the event that he was “surprised” to see a picture of Clinton on a gun magazine that didn’t include a bullseye.
“I was a little bit shocked at that — it didn’t have a bullseye on it,” Burr said at the event.
Burr apologized for the bullseye comment and told CNN, “The comment I made was inappropriate, and I apologize for it.”
