Months before late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Donald Trump emphasized to reporter Bob Woodward Senator Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) desperation to fill as many judicial vacancies, per new interview recordings released by Woodward on Sunday night.
“You know what Mitch’s biggest thing is in the whole world? His judges,” Trump told Woodward on December 13, 2019 during the reporter’s series of interviews for his book, “Rage.”
The President said that if he had 10 potential ambassadors in the pipes and one potential judicial nominee, McConnell “will absolutely ask me, ‘Please, let’s get the judge approved instead of 10 ambassadors.'”
Trump agreed with the GOP leader’s stance, telling Woodward that “we don’t need” as many ambassadors.
“Mitch’s big thing is judges,” Trump repeated. “Biggest thing.”
The newly released recordings of the President’s comments come amid controversy over McConnell’s pledge to fill the vacancy left by Ginsburg following her death on Friday, despite refusing to do for Merrick Garland, former President Barack Obama’s nominee in the name of allowing the elections to go through first.
McConnell argued on Friday that the country “reelected our majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda, particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary.”
Listen to the recording below:
Trump tells Woodward in December 2019 “You know what [Mitch McConnell]'s biggest thing is in the whole world? His judges.” pic.twitter.com/5BcVe1EBIN
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 21, 2020
