Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) on Sunday addressed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden declining to say whether he would expand the Supreme Court if elected, saying Republicans have bragged about “packing the court” under President Trump.
“The American people have watched the Republicans packing the court for the past three and a half years, and they brag about it,” Durbin said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We are dealing with people on the court, packing into the court, with little or no qualifications for a long time.”
Durbin also cited Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) refusal in 2016 to hold a hearing for Judge Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
“The [Democratic] base is correct in believing that the Republicans changed the rules four years ago,” Durbin said, adding that “[n]ow they’ve completely reversed themselves” by proceeding with the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Biden made similar comments on Saturday before leaving for Erie, Pa., telling reporters: “Look, the only court packing is going on right now. It’s going on with the Republicans packing the court now.”
Durbin on Sunday also addressed North Carolina Democratic Senate nominee Cal Cunningham admitting to an extramarital affair, saying Cunningham “admitted wrongdoing, apologized for it and the campaign continues.”
“He’s faced it squarely. I think at this point that’s the best he can do,” Durbin added.
Cunningham leads Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in most polling of the Senate race, one of several Senate contests that could determine which party holds the majority in 2021.