The Hugh Hewitt Show

Leonard Leo is a key adviser to President Trump on judicial selections. (Leonard is on leave from The Federalist Society while he assists in this process.)  He joined me this morning to discuss the nomination of Judge Gorsuch:

Audio:

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell joined me this morning to discuss the nomination by President Trump of Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy on the United States Supreme Court:

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Transcript:

HH: Joined by the leader of the United States Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Leader McConnell, welcome back. First thing, congratulations to your wife on her confirmation as Transportation Secretary, I believe only the second woman in American history to hold two cabinet jobs. So congratulations to her.

MM: Great. Well, thank you very much, Hugh, and thank you for sending me a signed copy of your new book.

HH: Well, I hope you get to the part about the judicial confirmations, Chapter 4. That’s the key part.

MM: Oh, I will.

HH: And I have a column in the Washington Post today about repairing the Senate. Before we go to the Gorsuch nomination, Mr. Leader, I’ve got to ask you one very important question. You saw Deshaun Watson light up your beloved Louisville in October, 42-36. Should the Browns make him their number one overall draft pick in April?

MM: Well, they can’t, because he’s got another year.

HH: Oh, he’s coming out. Watson’s coming out.

MM: Oh, Watson? Watson, yeah, oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were talking about my guy.

HH: Oh, Jackson? No. Watson.

MM: No, I would take Watson. I think Watson is the best quarterback in the country. I think Lamar Jackson of Louisville is the best athlete, and that’s why I think he won the Heisman Trophy.

HH: All right, so I just wanted to get that on the record. I also want to thank you for saving the Supreme Court by adopting the No Hearings/No Votes policy. Democrats are complaining about this. I heard you last night explain that had not happened in 80 years, and they ought not to be complaining about that.

MM: No, look, we were right in the middle of a presidential election year, and I wasn’t going to let Barack Obama fill this vacancy in the 11th hour of his presidency. So complaining about last year has nothing to do with this year. This is the beginning of a four year term. I said the American people would choose the person who would make this nomination. Honestly, everybody thought that would be Hillary Clinton. So it was about the principle of not filling the vacancy in the middle of a presidential year. So yes, last night was a proud night for Senate Republicans. Many of us were down at the White House to watch the President make this truly outstanding nomination. And had it not been for the Senate Republican majority, it would have been filled by Barack Obama. Continue Reading

Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined me this morning to discuss President Trump’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy on the United States Supreme Court:

Audio:

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Transcript:

HH: Joined now by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, one of the lions of the Senate, Chuck Grassley. Senator Grassley, good morning, it’s great to have you on the Hugh Hewitt show.

CG: Oh, hey, thank you a lot, and I also want to thank you for your leadership that you showed last year about following the Biden rule and letting the people have a voice.

HH: Well, it is, it has saved originalism, and now Neil Gorsuch is the nominee. The first question, it’s really the only question, if Democrats stop and up or down vote, will the Reid Rule be invoked to break the filibuster?

CG: Well, I’ll tell you, it may sound like I’m trying to not answer your question, but let me put it in perspective. We shouldn’t even have to face that issue for this reason, and that is that in the first term of Clinton, there were two vacancies. Republicans didn’t filibuster. And in the first term of Obama, there were two vacancies, and Republicans didn’t filibuster. So Trump should have the same courtesy from the Democrats. And your question’s kind of hypothetical, but let me say this. The nominee will be confirmed, and I can’t imagine that Democrats would obstruct such a mainstream and sterling candidate that Gorsuch is. And if they do obstruct him, it would be clear to me that they’d obstruct almost anybody that could be put up. Continue Reading

Meet the Press host Chuck Todd joined me today to discuss the nomination by President Trump of Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy on the United States Supreme Court:

Audio:

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