Hillary Criticizes GOP For Saying ‘You Can’t Vote’ on SCOTUS Nominee, Defends Alito Filibuster

Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argued that Republicans are saying, “You can’t vote on anything” while defending her filibuster of Samuel Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court during Thursday’s Clinton-Sanders Town Hall on MSNBC.

Hillary, in response to a question on whether she regrets voting against cloture on Alito’s nomination, said, “The nomination was made, and we went through the process, and what the Republicans today are saying is, ‘You can’t vote on anything. We don’t want the president to send us a nominee.’ I think that is very different, and what I am saying is, number one, the president has the right, and obligation, under the Constitution, to send forth a nominee, and the Senate has an obligation, under the Constitution, to decide whether to approve or not. That’s very different than, on the floor of the Senate making your argument.

After moderator Chuck Todd pointed out that had Hillary’s filibuster was successful, Alito wouldn’t have gotten a vote. Hillary responded, “But that’s the way the Senate operates. You get to have a vote. You get to use the rules. … That happens a lot, and so, I’m not in the position that the president is right now, trying to talk some sense into the Senate Republicans, to actually do their constitutional duty, but once a nominee goes to the Senate, then you go through the process. There should be hearings, both from the nominee and other witnesses, then it should be presented to the floor, and then you use the procedures that are available and eventually, as you know, Justice Alito was confirmed.”

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