ST. PAUL [10/2/20]–Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis’ steadfast support of Mitch McConnell and national Republicans’ attempts to ram through Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is a stark departure from what Lewis said during a 2016 congressional debate. If confirmed, Amy Coney Barrett would have devastating consequences for Minnesotans.
Amy Coney Barrett would be part of an effort to overturn the Affordable Care Act, overturn protections for pre-existing conditions, and overturn Roe v. Wade. To try to rush this weeks before the election and during a pandemic shows Republicans’ priorities.
After the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and former President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland, Lewis said “The United States Senate should not confirm that man or anybody until next year.” Now, in 2020, Lewis is declaring that “the Constitution doesn’t have a ‘most fervent wish’ clause,” and “they must #FillTheSeat now.”
Lewis has unsurprisingly gone back on his word from 2016, when a U.S. Supreme Court seat was left open for almost a year during the election year: “It’s not beyond the pale to consider a contested presidential election… What are you going to do if it’s a four-four tie? The country will have no finality on the presidential race.” Now in 2020, Lewis sees no duty to respect the precedent Republicans themselves set just four years ago.
Lewis has also called the U.S. Supreme Court “judicial tyranny, no different than a king” and said he did not “understand why we allow ourselves to be governed by 9 people in robes.”
Lewis’ hypocrisy shows Minnesotans how his priorities are self-serving and not in their best interest.
JASON LEWIS HAS DISPARAGED THE SUPREME COURT, WHILE ALSO RUSHING TO FILL IT WITH A CONSERVATIVE JUDGE
Lewis On Garland Nomination: “The United States Senate Should Not Confirm That Man Or Anybody Until Next Year.” During a March 2016 Second Congressional debate the following interaction occurred, MODERATOR: Jason, would gun control prevent gun violence. [22:17] LEWIS: Well, of course not. Dr. John Lott, he’s a good friend of mine, wrote a book called More Guns, Less Crime. When you liberalize conceal carry, we did see crime go down, that’s absolutely true. Prohibition doesn’t work. The bad guys are gonna get the guns anyway. And they’re already breaking the law. This goes, though, to the president’s Supreme Court pick. He’s very very weak on the Heller decision, which found that we have an individual right to bear arms in this country called the Second Amendment, and he was gonna be pushed by the president to undo that. The United States Senate should not confirm that man or anybody until next year. (applause) Moderator: This is the final thirty-second question that will be asked of each of you. [The Uptake GOP MN CD2 Debate & Debate Transcript, 22:17, 4/8/16] (VIDEO)
Lewis Said He’d Tell Democrats “Too Bad; We Won, You Lost” If They Objected To Senate Republicans Filling A Vacant Supreme Court Seat Before The 2020 Elections. AUDIENCE MEMBER 6: “So as a physician, I wish everyone long life and good health. I’m prefacing my comments. But as a candidate for Senate, if the Supreme Court seat were to come open, Mitch McConnell held Merrick Garland in an election year. When the Democrats say ‘no no no, you can’t get a nominee in an election year,’ what would your response to that be?” LEWIS: “‘Too bad; we won, you lost.’ When Barack Obama was fielding Republican complaints because he was doing too many things too quick in his first term, he had these Republicans come to the Oval Office and he said ‘hey gang, guess what? Elections have consequences. I won. You lost. This is how it works.’ Now, it’s a very interesting tactical question, because here’s what Democrats do that Republicans don’t do — and speaking of health care, let’s talk about the Affordable Care Act.” [Jason Lewis speech, Becky Hall fundraiser @ Duluth, 52:49, 2/5/20]
Lewis: “I Don’t Understand Why We Allow Ourselves To Be Governed By 9 People In Robes.” “But of course, getting a government subsidy is not a right to begin with, so no one else who’s denied the subsidy has a claim. And the same is true for the government entitlement called marriage. But this — y’know, look, this Court is making things up. They’ve become a superlegislature. And I don’t understand why we allow ourselves to be governed by 9 people in robes. If we’re gonna be governed by a committee that’s going to overturn the will of the people, why don’t we just have the president do it? Why don’t we have an honest dictatorship and assign the president the goal of finding the fundamental rights that the Constitution protects. And that way, if the people get out of hand, the president can correct us like the Constitution. You see, what we’re dealing with here, friends, is judicial tyranny, no different than a king — except it’s one person instead of 9.” [Jason Lewis podcast, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, 2015] (AUDIO)
Lewis On The Supreme Court: “What We’re Dealing With Here, Friends, Is Judicial Tyranny, No Different Than A King.” “But of course, getting a government subsidy is not a right to begin with, so no one else who’s denied the subsidy has a claim. And the same is true for the government entitlement called marriage. But this — y’know, look, this Court is making things up. They’ve become a superlegislature. And I don’t understand why we allow ourselves to be governed by 9 people in robes. If we’re gonna be governed by a committee that’s going to overturn the will of the people, why don’t we just have the president do it? Why don’t we have an honest dictatorship and assign the president the goal of finding the fundamental rights that the Constitution protects. And that way, if the people get out of hand, the president can correct us like the Constitution. You see, what we’re dealing with here, friends, is judicial tyranny, no different than a king — except it’s one person instead of 9.” [Jason Lewis podcast, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, 2015] (AUDIO)
Lewis: “The Constitution Doesn’t Have A ‘Most Fervent Wish’ Clause,” And “They Must #FillTheSeat Now.” [Twitter, 9/21/20]