Graham claims Democrats ‘hell-bent on reshaping institutions’ amid calls to nix filibuster over SCOTUS draft

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) claimed that Democrats are “hell-bent on reshaping institutions that have stood in the way of the outcomes they desire” amid calls from some to nix the filibuster to codify abortion rights following a leaked Supreme Court draft ruling on the issue.

A leaked draft of a Supreme Court ruling, written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito and obtained by Politico, signals that the high court would get rid of federal-level abortion protections, overturning the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. 

Democrats including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) quickly called for removing the filibuster to pass legislation guaranteeing abortion rights; however, centrists Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have already signaled their opposition to the move.

“In America, the radical Left is hell-bent on reshaping institutions that have stood in the way of the outcomes they desire,” Graham said in a statement, listing reforms that have been floated on the left including adding members to the Supreme Court and changing the Electoral College for presidential elections.

“The radical Left is now calling for the end of the Senate filibuster as a response to the draft opinion being released publicly. This only compounds the problem,” he continued. “Why destroy the Senate after this outrage against the Supreme Court’s deliberative process? When it comes to outcomes, the radical Left will do whatever they view as necessary – institutions be damned.”

Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the draft opinion on Tuesday, but noted it was not final and ordered an investigation into who leaked it. The high court is expected to hand down a ruling on a Mississippi abortion law within the next two months.

The leak renewed Democratic calls to have the 60-vote legislative rule required to pass most bills in the Senate tossed; however, the debate quickly took on a familiar shape after the Senate failed to change the rules for voting rights earlier this year.

“End the filibuster. Codify #RoeVWade with a national law protecting abortion rights. Expand the Supreme Court. Stop this horrifying injustice in its tracks,” Warren tweeted.

“Abolish the filibuster. Codify Roe. Expand the Supreme Court. Protect abortion rights by any means necessary. We need all of the above. This is an emergency,” Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) tweeted.

While Sinema said she was a staunch supporter of the right to abortion, she signaled that she did not believe removing the filibuster would help in that effort.

“Protections in the Senate safeguarding against the erosion of women’s access to health care have been used half-a-dozen times in the past ten years, and are more important now than ever,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.