Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) said on Thursday, “Bob Casey should do his job” and “meet with Judge Kavanaugh.”
Congressman Barletta argued that Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) should fulfill his senatorial duties and meet with Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Barletta said in a statement on Thursday:
Bob Casey should do his job like the people of Pennsylvania expect and meet with Judge Kavanaugh. It is the role of the Senate to advise and consent nominees for the judiciary and Bob Casey is shirking his fundamental responsibility. If he cannot take the time to meet with the nominee for the Supreme Court, he does not deserve to hold office in the U.S. Senate.
On Monday, Sen. Casey opposed Kavanaugh ten hours before President Donald Trump announced his Supreme Court nominee.
The Pennsylvania Democrat said in a tweet, “I will oppose the nomination the President will make tonight because it represents a corrupt bargain with the far Right, big corporations, and Washington special interests”:
In contrast, Barletta, who hopes to defeat Sen. Casey in the 2018 midterms, said on Monday:
I applaud President Donald Trump for nominating Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Judge Kavanaugh is one of the nation’s most respected conservative legal minds and has a strong record of respecting the rule of law, as laid out by the Constitution.
Sen. Casey called President Trump’s list of 25 potential Supreme Court nominees “hard-right,” even though he voted to confirm multiple judges for the Circuit Court of Appeals.
Last year, Sen. Casey voted to confirm Kevin Newsom for the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Casey also voted to confirm Thomas Hardiman for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in 2007 and even called Hardiman “well qualified.” The Pennsylvania Democrat confirmed Raymond Kethledge for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2008.
Hardiman, Kethledge, and Newsom were all named on Trump’s list of 25 potential Supreme Court nominees that Casey now calls “hard-right.”