Biden Declines To Release Potential SCOTUS Nominees, Claims The List “Would Be Subject To Unrelenting Political Attacks”

[Image source: C-SPAN video screenshots. Swamp Drain compilation].

Posted By: Lindsey Michelle September 20, 2020

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden gave remarks Sunday at the National Constitution Center from Philadelphia and indicated that he will not be releasing a list of possible Supreme Court nominees, despite growing pressure to do so.

Biden’s remarks come after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday and has left a vacancy on the high court, however, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed that Republicans will move to fill the Supreme Court opening.

Joe Biden stepped to the podium to give his remarks, appearing somewhat unwell on Saturday.

Upon giving his remarks, Joe Biden falsely claimed that President Trump called for him to release his list of potential SCOTUS nominees after Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away, however, President Trump called for Biden to do so after he announced 20 new additions to his own list on September 9.

“That includes this whole list of potential nominees that I would put forward. … They said after Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away, they said Biden should release his list. It’s no wonder the Trump campaign asked that I release the list, only after she passed away,” Biden falsely said. “It’s a game for them. It’s a play to gin up emotions and anger.

He also said that President Trump is the only presidential candidate to release possible nominees to the high court and indicated why he will not release his list of possible Supreme Court nominees. “First, putting a judge’s name on a list like that could influence that person’s decision making as a judge, and that would be wrong, or at least create the perception that it would have influence,” Biden said. Continued Below

“Second, anyone put on a list like that under these circumstances would be subject to unrelenting political attacks, because any nominee I would select would not get a hearing until 2021 at the earliest. She would endure those attacks for months on end without being able to defend herself,” he alleged.

In June, Biden seemed committed to releasing a shortlist of Black women he would consider as potential Supreme Court nominees ahead of November’s general election. “We are putting together a list of a group of African American women who are qualified and have the experience to be on the court,” Biden told reporters in Wilmington, Delaware.

On September 9, the Trump campaign released a list of twenty additional names and called on Joe Biden to release his own list of prospective nominees.

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During a rally in June, the Commander in Chief said that “Biden can’t release his list because the names would be too extreme, too radical”.

Meanwhile on Sunday, Joe Biden also claimed, “If Donald Trump has his way, the complications from COVID-19, which are well beyond what they should be– it’s estimated that hat 200 million people have died, probably by the time I finish this talk.”

Joe Biden left without taking questions.

(Related: Video Resurfaces Of Biden Urging The Senate To Take Up A Vote On SCOTUS Nominee Garland In 2016)