Former Minnesota Senator Al Franken argued that the US Supreme Court is illegitimate because Republicans stole two seats, a statement he repeatedly asked CNN political commentator Alice Stewart to refute with evidence to the contrary, but he does not, that is, she cannot.
Joins Franken Stewart and Jim Acosta in a conversation on CNN Saturday about the questionable legitimacy of the Supreme Court. On Friday, Chief Justice John Roberts said he was disappointed with the court’s public perception and blamed it on Democrats, whose claims of being illegitimate, he said, were based on the party’s disagreement with the court’s decisions.
Franken resented Chief Roberts’ remarks.
“I disagree with what the Chief Justice said. The legitimacy of the court was eroded when they did not take on Merrick Garland. and you will remember that [then Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell said this was because it was during an election year. And you remember Lindsey Graham pledged that if a vacancy opened at 20 during an election year, he wouldn’t vote — he wouldn’t pick a candidate,” Franken said.
“They have stolen two seats: one for which Merrick Garland was not given a trial and one for which [Amy Coney Barrett] where she was sitting a week before the election. This destroyed the legitimacy of the court. ,
Acosta gave it to CNN political commentator Alice Stewart—who worked on Mike Huckabee’s campaign when he ran for president in 2015 and was also a campaign communications director at times for Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum and Michelle Bachman—that Saying that the Court has become “Title on the far right.”
“To throw some accuracy in what Al said there, Merrick Garland paused because we had divided the government, with a Democrat in the White House, and Republicans in control,” she began, only interrupted by Franken. and had to be corrected.
“That’s not what McConnell said,” Franken argued. And back and forth there was debate.
“But historically that’s been the case. When you’re close to an election year and you’ve split the government—,” Stewart said, only to be interrupted by Franken, “no, historically not like that.” Tell me when it happened before. Tell me when it happened before.”
“Well,” he began, “Merrick Garland is definitely the one. When there’s a -“
Franken, again, came in. “No, before Merrick Garland. Tell me when it happened before. You said that’s what happened historically. Tell me when it happened before.”
“I can’t give you a precise example of when this happened in the past,” she replied.
“You know why you can’t? Because it hasn’t happened before,” Franken retorted.
He tried to divert the subject, but he didn’t let it go.
“It’s total hypocrisy,” said a fired Franken. “And really, I’m surprised you’re making that claim, and you can’t come up with an example because there isn’t one.”
He tried to respond and go back to what he called “the point of conversation”, but Franken stepped on him with a boisterous “It Is point!”
Watch the full conversation in the clip above.
