WASHINGTON – On Thursday, Senator Martha McSally and Senator Josh Hawley introduced a resolution to censure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for threatening two U.S. Supreme Court Justices during a pro-choice rally in front of the Court on Wednesday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, called out Schumer on the Senate floor Thursday morning for his threat towards Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Schumer said the justices would “pay the price” for decisions in abortion cases.
“I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price!” Schumer warned. “You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”
Chief Justice John Roberts rebuked Schumer for the remarks, saying that “threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous,” and that the justices “will continue to do their job, without fear or favor, from whatever quarter.”
In response to criticism from his colleagues, Roberts, and others, Schumer stated that he “should not have used the words I used. They didn’t come out the way I intended to.”
These remarks by @SenSchumer were inexcusable. Chief Justice Roberts was right to call him on his comments. I hope the Senator, whom I’ve long admired and consider a friend, apologizes and takes back his implicit threat. It’s beneath him and his office. https://t.co/xbNnUeznRR
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) March 4, 2020
The resolution has 13 original cosponsors including Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), David Perdue (R-Ga.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.).
The resolution condemns the Senate Minority Leader’s remarks at a pro-abortion rally in front of the Supreme Court yesterday, noting that political violence has increased in the United States over the last decade, including the targeting and murder of federal judges and their family members.
The resolution reads, “Senator Schumer has acknowledged that threatening statements can increase the dangers of violence against government officials when he stated on June 15, 2017, following the attempted murder of several elected Members of Congress, ‘We would all be wise to reflect on the importance of civility in our [N]ation’s politics’ and that ‘the level of nastiness, vitriol, and hate that has seeped into our politics must be excised.’”
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