Trump chose Barrett days after Ginsburg’s death
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump offered to name Judge Amy Coney Barrett his Supreme Court nominee more than a week ago at the White House — and she accepted, according to formal paperwork submitted to the Senate ahead of her confirmation hearings.
Barrett tells the Senate Judiciary Committee that the White House initially contacted her Sept. 19, the day after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, creating the court vacancy. Trump made the offer when she visited the White House on Monday, Sept. 21, “and I accepted,” she wrote.
That’s days before Trump’s formal announcement Saturday, and as he kept Americans guessing up until the last moment, suggesting he was still considering other nominees.
The judge’s nearly 70page questionnaire was submitted by the White House to the Senate on Tuesday as Barrett launched day one of private meetings at the Capitol, drawing praise from GOP senators but opposition from Democrats objecting to her conservative views and fast-track confirmation before the Nov. 3 election.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell said he was “even more convinced” of Barrett after their brief meeting. Noting she is a working mother of seven children, he scoffed at Democratic objections that the judge would put Americans’ access to health care at risk or turn back the clock on women’s rights. “What a joke,” he said.
As questions swirl about the potential for the results of the presidential election between Trump and Democrat Joe Biden to wind up in a court battle, Barrett offered no suggestion she would recuse herself from hearing any such election cases.
Instead, she said she would recuse herself in cases in which her husband and sister, both practicing attorneys, had participated, as well as cases involving her alma mater Notre Dame University.
Barrett lists a net worth of $2.5 million, including $1.6 million in securities and more than $500,000 in real estate. Liabilities include $102,000 in mortgages and more than $44,000 in tuitions. She reports $31,000 cash on hand.
Leading Democrats say Barrett should not hear any cases about the presidential election because her nomination is the first in U.S. to come so close to one, with early voting underway. But Republicans said Barrett, if confirmed, should absolutely be involved.