‘This Is Not Normal’: Cory Booker Urges Barrett To Put America First And Halt Her Nomination

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, citing an open letter from Amy Coney Barrett’s Notre colleagues and a litany of public opinion polls, called the ongoing confirmation hearings “illegitimate” and suggested that Barrett should halt her Supreme Court nomination until after the November election.

“Most Americans think that we should wait,” Sen. Booker said. “Today … 90 of your fellow faculty members from Notre Dame wrote an open letter … asking that you … withdraw from this nomination process and have it be halted until after the November election.”

“This is not normal,” he added. “And again, the overwhelming majority of Americans want to wait, but my colleagues here are not listening.”

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Sen. Booker said:

Probably one of the most respected [people] on both sides of the aisle, General Mattis, who served as our secretary of defense, went as far to say – a man who has been very reserved in his comments – that Donald Trump is a danger to our democracy. We are at a time that the legitimacy of our institutions are at stake. And it’s not normal that the president would further cast a shadow over your nomination as well as the independence of the court by saying he would only nominate justices who would tear down Roe v. Wade, who would overturn ACA. And it’s not normal, amidst this all and again something that I find hard to believe that we’re talking about, is that we have a president who cannot commit himself to the peaceful transfer of power. Now, in the light of this abnormality, most Americans think we should wait on your nomination. It’s an illegitimate process. Most Americans think that we should wait. Today – and I appreciate you not following the news – but 90 of your fellow faculty members from Notre Dame wrote an open letter calling on you – for the sake of our democracy; they didn’t speak to whether you’re right or left or your judicial philosophy or qualifications. They wrote an impassioned letter for the sake of our democracy. They publicly issued a statement asking that you … withdraw from this nomination process and have it be halted until after the November election. This is not normal. And again, the overwhelming majority of Americans want to wait, but my colleagues here are not listening.

Once again, the Republican Party puts power over country

It’s abundantly clear that the ongoing push to confirm Amy Coney Barrett before the Nov. 3 election is a last-ditch power grab by Donald Trump and Republicans, but that hasn’t stopped them from moving full speed ahead.

Of course, it’s not at all surprising.

For the last four years, Republican lawmakers have allowed Donald Trump to trample over American norms and institutions. They’ve stood by and done nothing, and in many cases have been willing participants in his corruption and abuses of power.

It’s no surprise that the last act of this dying political party before the November election will be to again put power over country.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.