Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said Monday that she hasn’t “made a plan one way or another” on meeting President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.
After speaking at Shaw University in North Carolina, reporters asked the vice presidential nominee whether she would meet with Judge Amy Coney Barrett, to which she replied, “I’m sure that’s going to happen. We’ll see how it works out.”
“I haven’t made a plan one way or another,” Harris said, according to a campaign pool report.
But the California senator and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee committed to being “involved in the hearings and performing my role and responsibility” on the panel.
Harris was also questioned on whether Senate Democrats can delay the confirmation process or opt to respond should she and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are elected to the White House.
“I’m going to focus on what’s within our power in these next 36 days, and what’s in our power is to elect Joe Biden president of the United States,” she responded.
Harris is expected to be the most closely watched Democrat at Barrett’s upcoming confirmation hearings, pushing Biden’s running mate further into the spotlight.
Several of her fellow Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, including Sens. Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), have said they will not hold informational meetings with Barrett, following the lead of Republicans who refused to meet with or hold a hearing for then-President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee in 2016.
Another member of the committee, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), said Sunday that he would “extend that courtesy” of meeting Barrett if she requests it, saying he wants “to be respectful.”
Trump officially nominated Barrett on Saturday to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18.