Remember one year ago, and the lengths Republican senators would go to to avoid answering a simple question? Then it was "Is asking foreign leaders to investigate rivals okay?" Now it's "What's the difference between 2016 and now with Supreme Court justices?" They still don't have a good answer.
A year ago, Sen. Cory Gardner tied himself up in knots trying to not answer the Ukraine question. Here he is this week, when asked by CNN why he's flipped from 2016. Back then, he said bluntly "The next election is too soon, and the stakes too high," to allow President Obama to replace a vacancy. Asked about those comments Wednesday, and what was different now, Gardner brushed it off. "If you didn't see my statement, I'll send it to you," Gardner said as he escaped into a senators-only elevator. But that statement said nothing about 2016. It just said that if a qualified nominee comes forward, "I will vote to confirm."
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Huh. How about Joni Ernst? Back in March 2016, she said "In the midst of a critical election, the American people deserve to have a say in this important decision that will impact the course of our country for years to come. […] This is not about any particular nominee; rather this is about giving the American people a voice." March, by the way. More than seven months before the election. Now that we're less than six weeks away, she says "Once the president puts forward his nominee for the Supreme Court, I will carry out my duty—as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee—to evaluate the nominee for our nation’s highest court." But what about letting the people have their say, Senator? Crickets. She refused to answer when CNN asked.
Okay, then, what about Georgia Sen. David Perdue? "I got people waiting for me," he told CNN when asked. Back in 2016, he said refusing to hold hearings on Merrick Garland "is a wise course of action in the midst of a presidential election." Yeah, he's got people waiting for him now, can't talk.
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