Democrats and their allies in the media immediately began attacking Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett for her Catholic faith and smeared her as “an extreme jurist” following President Donald Trump officially nominating her to the nation’s highest court earlier in the day.
It only took a few minutes following the nomination for MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace to attack Barrett’s Catholic faith and asked her panel: “What do you think the line of questioning will be about that association?”
It took less than 5 minutes for MSNBC's @NicolleDWallace to attack Amy Coney Barrett's religious beliefs:
"What do you think the line of questioning will be about that association?" pic.twitter.com/jdzzHaVlIa
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 26, 2020
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), who said earlier this week that questions about Barrett’s religious views were not off the table during confirmation hearings, attacked Barrett’s “closely-held views” following her nomination.
WATCH:
No big deal, just Senator Mazie Hirono being a religious bigot, questioning whether Amy Coney Barrett can set aside her "closely-held views" as a judge. pic.twitter.com/FI4lH7LtJM
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 26, 2020
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who has lied in the past about his service in the U.S. Military, immediately moved to delegitimize Barrett’s nomination.
“I will oppose the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, as I would any nominee proposed as part of this illegitimate sham process, barely one month before an election as Americans are already casting their votes. Americans deserve a voice in this hugely consequential decision,” Blumenthal wrote on Twitter. “Judge Barrett’s views would harm real lives—real people—in real ways, from children with pre-existing conditions to women who just want to be able to decide when & how to have a family. I’m fighting for them.”
Judge Barrett’s views would harm real lives—real people—in real ways, from children with pre-existing conditions to women who just want to be able to decide when & how to have a family. I’m fighting for them.
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) September 26, 2020
“Judge Barrett, like any Trump nominee, has already been vetted & screened to meet two tests: a commitment to striking down the Affordable Care Act & to overturning Roe v. Wade,” Blumenthal continued. “Judge Barrett has criticized past decisions protecting access to health care, shown hostility to reproductive freedoms, & expressed a willingness to overturn settled Supreme Court precedent that does not align with her extreme views.”
Judge Barrett has criticized past decisions protecting access to health care, shown hostility to reproductive freedoms, & expressed a willingness to overturn settled Supreme Court precedent that does not align with her extreme views.
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) September 26, 2020
“If Judge Barrett’s views become law, hundreds of millions of Americans living w/pre-existing conditions would lose access to their health care. In the middle of a pandemic, rushing confirmation of an extreme jurist who will decimate health care is unconscionable,” Blumenthal concluded. “I will refuse to treat this process as legitimate & will not meet with Judge Amy Coney Barrett.”
I will refuse to treat this process as legitimate & will not meet with Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) September 26, 2020
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) also moved to delegitimize Barrett’s nomination, claiming without evidence that “this entire process is illegitimate.”
1. This entire process is illegitimate.
2. We knew that anyone on Trump’s list would represent a grave threat to Roe & ACA—including Barrett. Now GOP Senators will have to decide if they are truly willing to take away millions' rights & health care in the middle of a pandemic.
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) September 26, 2020
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a failed presidential candidate, falsely claimed that Barrett’s nomination was a “product of a corrupt, illegitimate process that undermines the will of the American people.” Gillibrand then attacked the mother of seven as “dangerous.”
Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court is the product of a corrupt, illegitimate process that undermines the will of the American people. Alongside her dangerous, ultra-conservative record, she’s not fit to serve on the Supreme Court.
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) September 26, 2020
National Review Senior Writer David Harsanyi noted online that none of the attacks on Barrett had anything to do with the U.S. Constitution or the Supreme Court’s role. Harsanyi’s observation came in response to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) claiming that Trump and Barrett were trying to “destroy the Affordable Care Act.” Numerous other Democrat Senators also made their attacks about trying to save Obamacare, despite the fact that Obamacare’s individual mandate has been ruled to be unconstitutional.
Harris wrote on Twitter: “Trump’s hand-picked successor to Justice Ginsburg’s seat makes it clear: they intend to destroy the Affordable Care Act & overturn Roe. This selection would move the court further right for a generation & harm millions of Americans. I strongly oppose Judge Barrett’s nomination.”
Trump’s hand-picked successor to Justice Ginsburg’s seat makes it clear: they intend to destroy the Affordable Care Act & overturn Roe. This selection would move the court further right for a generation & harm millions of Americans.
I strongly oppose Judge Barrett’s nomination.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 26, 2020
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) wrote: “Donald Trump’s nominee is a direct threat to the Affordable Care Act, reproductive choice, and so many other liberties we hold sacred. We can’t be silent as he tries to rush a Supreme Court Justice through the Senate. The American people deserve to have their voices heard.”
Donald Trump's nominee is a direct threat to the Affordable Care Act, reproductive choice, and so many other liberties we hold sacred.
We can't be silent as he tries to rush a Supreme Court Justice through the Senate.
The American people deserve to have their voices heard.
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) September 26, 2020
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote on Twitter: “If you don’t trust Republicans with your health care you shouldn’t trust them to fill a Supreme Court seat. If Senate Republicans vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett, millions of Americans will be left without health care in the middle of a pandemic.”
If you don’t trust Republicans with your health care you shouldn’t trust them to fill a Supreme Court seat. If Senate Republicans vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett, millions of Americans will be left without health care in the middle of a pandemic.
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) September 26, 2020
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who asked then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh about his high school farting habits, tweeted: “It doesn’t matter who the Supreme Court nominee is; it matters who’s behind this pick. And the answer is special interests out to capture our courts.”
It doesn’t matter who the Supreme Court nominee is; it matters who’s behind this pick. And the answer is special interests out to capture our courts.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) September 26, 2020
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) smeared Barrett as being “far-right” and played to people’s emotions, claiming that Republicans were ignoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s supposed dying wish of not being replaced by the current president.
A vote for Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a vote to eliminate health care for millions in the middle of a pandemic.
Democrats are fighting for Americans' health care.https://t.co/e3pWbFWRDm
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) September 26, 2020
Here are the attacks that other Democrat Senators launched against Barrett following her nomination to the Supreme Court:
I will not vote for a nominee to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court until after the American people have voted and our next President and new Senate have taken office. pic.twitter.com/olR4sOuBvT
— Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) September 26, 2020
Since President Trump has pledged to only nominate candidates from a list approved by two far-right organizations, the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation, it’s unsurprising that he has nominated an individual with an extreme judicial philosophy.
— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) September 26, 2020
We are barely 1 month away from Election Day. There is no honor or fairness in the way @senatemajldr and @POTUS are rushing to fill this seat. There is no precedent in the history of our nation to fill a Supreme Court vacancy after July of a presidential election year. None.
— Senator Ben Cardin (@SenatorCardin) September 26, 2020
It is clear why Republicans have reversed their position from 2016—they want to use the Supreme Court to overturn the ACA.
What’s at stake with this nomination is the fate of affordable, quality health care and pre-existing conditions protections for millions of Americans.
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) September 26, 2020
President Trump and Leader McConnell are hellbent on dishonoring Justice Ginsburg’s dying wish by appointing an extreme far-right Justice who will rubber stamp their harmful agenda, including sabotaging health care access. https://t.co/bRfJYbPU2H
— Dick Durbin (@DickDurbin) September 26, 2020
President Trump has guaranteed that Judge Barrett will deliver on conservative priorities. In doing so, she would stand as the polar opposite to the vision of America that Justice Ginsburg fought for decades to achieve.
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 26, 2020
I will not be a party to Mitch McConnell's power grab and I will not be a party to the further erosion of the Senate.
I will not vote to confirm any Supreme Court justice nominee until after the election is concluded. The American people deserve a voice. https://t.co/zVDMghdVNO
— Doug Jones (@DougJones) September 25, 2020
There are less than 40 days between now and Election Day, and voting is already underway in VA and other states. Given the stakes—health care, fundamental rights, the integrity of the Court—rushing a confirmation vote before the American people have weighed in would be reckless.
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) September 26, 2020
Pres. Trump's nom. of Justice Ginsburg’s replacement before she's even buried is a raw power grab to reshape the Court in a thinly veiled attempt to deprive millions of healthcare & unravel their constitutional rights.
#RBG would have dissented. We should too.Comment here: pic.twitter.com/OJj6OoqzTV
— Sen. Patrick Leahy (@SenatorLeahy) September 26, 2020
Barrett has an ideological agenda she won’t acknowledge and an expressed willingness to overturn Supreme Court precedent.
Her agenda poses a direct threat to health care, a woman’s right to control her body, the rights of LGBTQ Americans, and other individual and civil rights.
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) September 26, 2020
If the Senate Republicans confirm Judge Barrett, Democrats must move to end the filibuster and expand the Supreme Court in the next Congress.
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) September 26, 2020
They are ramming through this judge to make sure they win the case to take health care from 23m Americans.
They need to move fast because the court hears the case a week after the election. https://t.co/xkyOWZvHAA
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) September 26, 2020
My statement on President Trump’s Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett: pic.twitter.com/U1zkDKnMEt
— Senator Jack Reed (@SenJackReed) September 26, 2020
Judge Barrett's record of opposing Roe v. Wade and the ACA demonstrates that the president is trying to rush through this nomination to advance his own agenda, instead of what's best for NH and the nation.
The American people should be heard.
— Jeanne Shaheen (@JeanneShaheen) September 26, 2020
Americans need Supreme Court Justices who will protect the rights of all Americans, and deliver equal justice for all.
Judge Barrett’s record of opposing the Affordable Care Act and reproductive rights for women is why I oppose her nomination to the Supreme Court.
— Senator Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) September 26, 2020
It is for that reason and the fact that I believe Michigan voters should have a say through their vote in selecting the next Supreme Court Justice, that I am opposing Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination and will do everything I can to stop it! (3/3)
— Debbie Stabenow (@stabenow) September 26, 2020
On the eve of a presidential election, the GOP assault on precedent & principle—all to destroy the #ACA & advance an extreme right wing agenda they can't pass in Congress—is unconscionable.
I will fight this as hard as I can. And urge all Americans to make their voices heard.
— Archive: Senator Tom Udall (@SenatorTomUdall) September 26, 2020
We are in a pandemic and should be working to pass a relief bill. Instead, Republicans want to confirm Barrett to the Supreme Court to help them strike the Affordable Care Act, gut voting rights, civil rights, and take away every woman’s right to reproductive choice.
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) September 26, 2020
Amy Coney Barrett will work to gut Roe v. Wade and the ACA, taking away health care coverage from millions of Americans—including those with pre-existing conditions. And make no mistake: Trump is counting on her to swing the Supreme Court in his favor when he loses this election. pic.twitter.com/cTpOHgintZ
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) September 26, 2020
This story has been updated to include additional information.