President Trump suggested Monday that Maine Sen. Susan Collins could face electoral consequences for her statement Sunday that whoever is elected Nov. 3 should select the nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Speaking on “Fox & Friends,” the president went after both Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who made a similar statement following Ginsburg’s death on Friday.
“I think Susan Collins is very badly hurt by her statement yesterday, and I think, I think Murkowski is very badly hurt, and she doesn’t run for two years, but I think this will follow her into the beautiful, and it is a beautiful, state of Alaska,” Trump said. “Nobody’s ever done so much for so little with Murkowski … I think she’ll be really hurt badly in two years and I think that Susan Collins is going to be hurt very badly – her people aren’t going to take this. People are not going to take it.”
On Fox & Friends, Trump warns GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins that they're "badly hurt" politically by indicating that they will not support hiss SCOTUS nominee, whether it's "before or after" the election. pic.twitter.com/zfi6QOxTfK
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) September 21, 2020
Although he didn’t say it explicitly, the “people” Trump was referring to is clearly Maine voters.
Asked to respond to the president’s comments Monday, Collins’ campaign spokeswoman Annie Clark said, “As she has demonstrated time and time again, Senator Collins always does what she thinks is right for Maine and America – no matter which political party is in power.”
Collins has gone against the president on occasion over the last four years, but this is the first time the four-term Republican has found herself this squarely in Trump’s sights and it comes less than 45 days before Election Day. Collins, who trails Democrat Sara Gideon in all public polling so far, has avoided talking about Trump on the campaign trail, but Monday’s comments from the president might make that more difficult.
Collins, in her statement Saturday, said she would support the Senate beginning the vetting process of a new Supreme Court nominee but thinks any votes should come after the election.
“In order for the American people to have faith in their elected officials, we must act fairly and consistently – no matter which political party is in power. President Trump has the constitutional authority to make a nomination to fill the Supreme Court vacancy, and I would have no objection to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s beginning the process of reviewing his nominee’s credentials,” she said.
“In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the president or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the president who is elected on November 3rd.”
What Collins’ statement did not say was how she might vote if a nomination makes it to the Senate floor, something Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed will happen. Collins has never voted against a Supreme Court nominee in her 24 years in Congress.
In the same segment on “Fox & Friends” the president reiterated his plans to move quickly on Ginsburg’s replacement. He has said he expects to name his nominee by the end of this week. Trump already has nominated and had confirmed two justices in his first term, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, with Collins playing a large role in the latter’s confirmation.
“Don’t forget, we were put in this position by voters and we have a lot of time,” Trump said. “It’s not like we have two days, we have a lot of time, whether it’s before or after (the election). … I think it should go before. If the Democrats were in the same position, there is zero chance they wouldn’t do it, just so you understand.”
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