Mitch McConnell
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“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.”
“President Trump's nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.”
Established the precedent that Supreme Court vacancies should not be filled in an election year, then reversed the rule when it benefited his party, filling a vacancy much closer to an election than the one he blocked
“McConnell railed against changes to filibuster rules when Democrats made them, calling it a power grab and warning of dire consequences for the institution.”
“Republicans changed Senate rules to speed nominations as McConnell boasted about the fast pace of confirming judicial nominees.”
Condemned Democrats for changing Senate rules on nominations, then changed Senate rules himself to accelerate Republican judicial confirmations, with each position serving partisan advantage
“You'll regret this, and you may regret it a lot sooner than you think.”
“We need to restore the norms and traditions of the Senate and get past this unprecedented partisan filibuster.”
Warned Democrats they would regret changing filibuster rules, then expanded those same rule changes further when it was politically convenient for Republicans to confirm a Supreme Court justice