Mitch McConnell seems to have changed his tune on filling a Supreme Court vacancy during an election year...
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00:00One of my proudest moments is when I looked at Barack Obama in the eye and I said,
00:03Mr. President, you will not fill this Supreme Court vacancy.
00:07We're already hearing incorrect claims that there is not sufficient time
00:12to examine and confirm a nominee.
01:00We're talking about here an election already underway,
01:10a vacancy created in a presidential election year. Next year is not a presidential election year.
01:18This is a unique circumstance and you'd have to go back to 1888 when Grover Cleveland
01:23was president to find the last time a vacancy created in a presidentially elected year
01:29was approved by a Senate of a different party.
01:33Senator Grassley and I made it clear that we don't intend to take up a nominee
01:40or to have a hearing and it was a good opportunity to reiterate
01:47our view that this appointment should be made by the next president.
01:51This vacancy will not be filled this year.
01:54We will look forward to the American people deciding who they want to make this appointment
02:00through their own votes.
02:02Senate will appropriately revisit the matter after the American people finish
02:07making in November the decision they've already started making today.
02:11The American people are perfectly capable of having their say, their say on this issue.
02:19So let's give them a voice.
02:23Let's let the American people decide.
02:29The Senate will appropriately revisit the matter when it considers the qualifications of the nominee
02:36the next president nominates, whoever that might be.
02:42President Obama still has every right to nominate someone on his way out the door.
02:47The Senate also has every right to withhold its consent.
02:52We're perfectly prepared to take our argument to the American people.
02:56We think the American people are in the process already.
02:59A big election today all across the South in deciding who the next president's going to be.
03:05You know the history of this and I would tell you if the shoe were on the other foot,
03:09do any of you think the Democrat majority in the Senate would be confirming a
03:14Republican president's nomination in the last year of his term?
03:19Of course not.
03:20This is going to be decided by the American people and the next president,
03:23whoever that may be, will fill this vacancy.
03:27I think it's safe to say there will not be hearings or votes.
03:31I think it is also safe to say the next president, whoever that may be,
03:36is going to be the person who chooses the next Supreme Court justice.
03:39I want to particularly congratulate President-elect Trump.
03:42He will have an opportunity to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.
03:45As you know, I said in February of this year, to a hail of controversy,
03:51that I thought it best that the American people decide who made this appointment.