Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Tuesday that he will not meet with Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s third Supreme Court pick.
“I am not going to meet with Judge Barrett. Why would I meet with a nominee of such an illegitimate process and one who is determined to get rid of the Affordable Care Act?” Schumer said in a tweet.
Democrats are weighing whether to meet with Barrett as she begins her Capitol Hill outreach on Tuesday, where she is scheduled to meet with several Republican senators including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
Two Democrats on the Judiciary Committee — Sens. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) — said over the weekend that they won’t meet with her. But Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) indicated on Sunday that he wanted to.
“It’s my intention to do so … I’m going to make it very clear. One of the things I want to ask her is will she recuse herself in terms of any election issues that come before us, because if she does not recuse herself, I fear that the court will be further delegitimized,” Booker told “Meet the Press” when asked if he would meet with Barrett.
The meetings are not required but give senators a first shot at questioning the Supreme Court nominee ahead of a high-profile hearing.
Trump announced on Saturday that he intended to nominate Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, setting up a weeks-long fight expected to dominate the final stretch of the campaign.
Graham has said he will start hearings for Barrett on Oct. 12, with a committee vote expected on Oct. 22. That would pave the way for the full Senate to vote on Barrett’s confirmation before the Nov. 3 elections.
Because nominees only need a simple majority to be confirmed, Republicans can seat Barrett on the court without support from Democrats.