Republican senator: GOP colleagues should meet with court nominee
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is pressing her Republican colleagues to meet with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland and give him a hearing.
“My views are not a secret to my colleagues. I would encourage all of my colleagues to sit down with Judge Garland,” she told reporters Tuesday. “I believe that that’s how the process should work and works best when we have these one-on-one meetings followed by public hearings.”
{mosads}Collins’s comments come after she sat down with Garland Tuesday, saying she is “more convinced than ever” that he should get a hearing. The meeting is one of 11 that Garland is expected to have with senators on Capitol Hill this week.
She acknowledged, however, that she will face an uphill battle to change her colleagues’ minds.
“I’m not optimistic that I will be changing minds on this issue,” she added. “It’s always hazardous to predict what one’s colleagues are going to do, or how they’re going to react.”
While approximately 17 Republican senators have said they are open to meeting with Garland, only a few—including Collins—have backed allowing him to have a hearing.
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who faces a difficult reelection bid, became the first Republican senator to say he would consider voting for Garland.
Collins said Tuesday it was too early to determine if she can support Obama’s nominee, saying she wants to wait until after the public hearings to reach a decision.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Monday evening invited Garland to a breakfast meeting where he’ll explain why he believes the Supreme Court seat should remain vacant until next year.
Asked if she will be able to influence Grassley, Collins said that while the Judiciary Committee chairman has agreed to meet with the president’s pick, the Iowa senator is “sincere” in his current position.
“Let’s see if after that meeting Senator Grassley still holds to the position that there should not be hearings,” she added.
Garland is also expected to meet with Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) on Tuesday, as well as Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.).
Boozman and Grassley are also facing reelection battles.
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