Durbin: ‘We Don’t Have the Power’ to Play Hardball on SCOTUS Nominee

On Thursday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) stated that Senate Democrats “don’t have the power” to play “hardball” on the nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Co-host Mika Brzezinski asked, “[W]hat is the gameplan? And you are saying you don’t think you should play hardball the way the Republicans did?”

Durbin answered, “Well, we don’t have the power. I mean, if we had the power and the authority to make those decisions, it’s one thing. But under the rules — under the rules with Justice Gorsuch, in a matter of three months or so, he went from being nominated by the White House to being approved by the United States Senate. In the meantime, there was vetting, investigation, hearing, questions, votes in the committee, consideration on the floor. But it was on a path where the majority controlled the outcome, and at this point, we don’t have the majority.”

(h/t Grabien)

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett