Compared to FBI Director James Comey’s Monday testimony on Russia, the first day of Judge Neil Gorsuch’s Senate confirmation hearing went off with a whimper. Obviously his nomination for the Supreme Court is an important matter, especially for conservatives who hope Donald Trump will keep his word regarding Roe v. Wade. Yet with the president’s incessant tweeting aiming to twist the narrative of Comey’s testimony, many missed out on Gorsuch’s initial confirmation proceedings. That changed on Tuesday, however, when Senate Judiciary Committee members — especially Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) — began questioning Gorsuch about his service record.
One of the session’s more memorable moments came when, following several questions about Roe v. Wade, Graham congratulated Gorsuch while admitting he’d had his doubts:
“I think you’re a man of the law and I really want to congratulate the president to pick you. Quite frankly I was worried about who he’d pick. Maybe somebody on TV? But President Trump could not have done better in choosing you. I hope people on the other side will understand that you may not like him — I certainly didn’t agree with President Obama, but I understood why he picked Sotomayor and Kagan — and I hope you can understand why President Trump picked Neil Gorsuch.”
These kind words weren’t lost on Gorsuch, who thanked Graham soon after, although most of the chamber was still busy chewing on the senator’s not-so-veiled dig at Trump’s reality television background. After all, one of the president’s more recent dust ups vis-à-vis wiretapping involved Fox News personality Judge Napolitano.
“I would have walked out the door. It’s not what judges do.” – #JudgeGorsuch to @LindseyGrahamSC if @POTUS asks him to overrule Roe v. Wade pic.twitter.com/YLIp9giDA6
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 21, 2017
What’s more, they were probably still digesting the Supreme Court nominee’s stand against a scenario in which Trump would have asked him directly to overturn Roe v. Wade. Graham posed the question in the context of Gorsuch’s first meeting with the president, which occurred during his initial interview. “What would you have done if he had asked?” said Graham. Without missing a beat, Gorsuch said he “would have walked out the door.” Why? Because that’s “not what judges do.”
To cite Judge Judy’s bailiff, Office Petri Hawkins-Byrd:
(Via Fox 10 Phoenix and Fox News)