Mitch McConnell Dismisses Ginsburg’s Wish for Next President to Select Her Replacement

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Tuesday weighed in on the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish for the next president to select her replacement.

McConnell on RBG's dying wish for next president to pick her replacement: "I prefer another thing she said recently, which was she thought the number of the Supreme Court ought to be nine"

McConnell's blocking of Merrick Garland left SCOTUS with 8 justices for more than a year pic.twitter.com/MSmdJq5uXI

— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 22, 2020

A transcript is as follows:

REPORTER: You’ve spoken highly of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Why not listen to her dying wish, apparently, to allow the next president to make this decision?

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL: I prefer another thing she said recently, which was she thought the number of the Supreme Court ought to be nine.

Before passing away at the age of 87 Friday, Ginsburg dictated the following statement to her granddaughter: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” according to NPR.

Earlier Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that he will reveal his pick for the Supreme Court on Saturday, adding that the exact time is “TBA.”

I will be announcing my Supreme Court Nominee on Saturday, at the White House! Exact time TBA.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2020

On Monday, President Trump met with Judge Amy Coney Barrett at the White House, Breitbart News White House correspondent Charlie Spiering confirmed.

As Breitbart News reported:

Barrett, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, continues to be a front-runner on Trump’s shortlist for the Supreme Court.

Trump previously met with Barrett as he prepared to replace Justice Antonin Scalia but ended up selecting Brett Kavanaugh instead.

In 2019, Axios reported that Trump was “saving” Barrett to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday.

When reporters asked Trump about Barrett on Saturday as he left the White House, Trump replied only, “She’s very highly respected. I can say that.”

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) announced Tuesday that he will support a Senate vote on President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, paving the way for the president to appoint a third judge to the highest court in the land.

“My decision regarding a Supreme Court nomination is not the result of a subjective test of ‘fairness’ which, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder,” Romney said in a statement. “It is based on the immutable fairness of following the law, which in this case is the Constitution and precedent.”