Examining Trump's claim about timing of 29 Supreme Court vacancies
Washington — As President Trump and Senate Republicans fend off attacks from Democrats for proceeding with the confirmation of a new Supreme Court justice just weeks before Election Day, an oft-repeated argument in favor of moving forward has been the historical precedent for filling a vacancy during an election year.
"There have been 29 times a vacancy opened during an election year or prior to an inauguration. Twenty-nine times. That's a lot," Mr. Trump told a crowd of supporters in North Carolina on Saturday. "Every single time, the sitting president made a nomination. That included — did you ever hear of George Washington? Did you ever hear of Thomas Jefferson? Or how about the great Abraham Lincoln?"
Indeed, there have been more than a dozen vacancies on the Supreme Court during presidential election years, and past presidents have not shied away from naming nominees to fill those seats. But a review of Senate and Supreme Court records indicates there were fewer than 29 instances that fit the scenario Mr. Trump describes, in which a seat on the bench opened up during an election year and before an inauguration.
And while the president may not have hesitated to try to fill the high court vacancies in those 29 instances, the Senate did not always agree with the president's selection. Ten times the candidate was rejected or withdrawn by the president.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/examining-trumps-claim-about-timing-of-29-supreme-court-vacancies/ar-BB19lyma?li=BBnb7Kz
= new reply since forum marked as read
