Republicans may well rue the day they refused to consider President Obama’s 2016 appointment of Merrick Garland to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death.
You will recall the 2016 decision by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to block Garland’s appointment. That move sparked outrage among Democrats and liberals across the country.
Clever political maneuvering by McConnell? Maybe not. In fact, that decision was flawed on two counts.
First, by all measures, Merrick Garland was acknowledged to be a centrist. By rejecting the Garland appointment, McConnell opened the door to the probability that a far more liberal judge would fill Scalia’s seat. Remember, Hillary Clinton was thought to be an easy winner in the 2016 presidential election. If she were to be appointed and confirmed, she would not squander the opportunity to tilt the Court to left.
Okay, McConnell dodged that bullet. Hillary did not make it to the Supreme Court.
But wait. Fast forward to today. Not so lucky.this time.
Merrick Garland now heads the Department of Justice. He has steadfastly refused to bow to political pressure regarding the potential indictment of former President Donald Trump.
In an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, Merrick Garland refused to consider delaying any prosecution of Donald Trump in the event that Trump were to announce a run for the 2024 election. Twice in that interview, Lester Holt tried to push the Trump line, and twice Garland pushed that narrative aside.
Clearly, Merrick Garland values the rule of law over party politics. If Trump were ever to be indited, the Garland’s Justice Department would prosecute.
Had Mitch McConnel allowed the Garland Supreme Court appointment to go forward in 2016, there would now be a different Attorney General heading the Justice Department, someone who might be more inclined to protect Donald Trump from any future prosecution.
Hey Mitch, don’t expect a Christmas Card from Donald Trump.