Trump Clashes With Susan Collins Over Supreme Court Pick

And he says his nominee will 'mostly likely' be female
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 19, 2020 5:00 PM CDT
Trump Divulges Details on His Pick for the High Court
People gather at the Supreme Court on the morning after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 in Washington.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President Trump said Saturday that his pick to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg would probably come in the next week and would "most likely" be a woman, the AP reports. He also disagreed with a Republican who broke ranks, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who said Ginsburg's replacement should be chosen by the president who is elected Nov. 3. "We won and we have an obligation as the winners to pick who we want. That's not the next president," Trump told reporters as he left the White House. "Hopefully I'll be the next president. But, we're here now, right now, we're here, and we have an obligation to the voters, all of the people, the millions of people that put us here in the form of a victory, we have an obligation to them, to all of those voters."

The New York Times reports that Collins, who is facing a tough reelection battle, said Trump "has the constitutional authority to make a nomination," and she has "no objection" to senators "reviewing his nominee’s credentials." But she added that "in fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the president or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the President who is elected on November 3rd." Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has vowed to call a vote for Trump's upcoming nominee—but the Times notes that McConnell can only afford to lose three Republican colleagues. With Collins, it's one down. (Meet the judge that Trump has reportedly been "saving.")

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