White House calls out Sen. Risch for opposing Supreme Court pick

The White House on Thursday took aim at Idaho Republican Sen. Jim Risch for refusing to meet with Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, with the president’s spokesman saying “the people of Idaho . . . expected him to do his job.”

Risch came up when a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest if any progress had been made in getting Republican senators to change their minds about not considering Garland’s nomination.

Earnest said that some senators had agreed to meet with Garland, which he called “an indication that the kind of pressure that Republicans are facing for not doing their job is forcing them in the direction of doing more of their job, at least.”

And other senators who have yet to change their minds are feeling the pressure, too, Earnest said.

Taking note of a story published by McClatchy on Wednesday, Earnest said: “Just yesterday, we saw Idaho Senator Jim Risch come out and say that the Supreme Court is very, very political, just like Congress,” Earnest said. “Well, the truth is our founding fathers intended a justice system that insulated the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary from day-to-day politics. That’s part of why they envisioned lifetime appointments for judges, so that they wouldn’t have to run for re-election and they wouldn’t face political pressure so intensely, that would allow them to focus on their job of interpreting the law.”

Earnest said Republicans “are in a tough spot” as they heed the advice of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who’s urging GOP senators not to meet with Garland.

There’s little evidence, however, that Democratic efforts to persuade Republicans to hold a hearing for Garland are working. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, met with Garland Tuesday, but repeated his intention to not move forward with a hearing or a vote.

Earnest said, however, that he believed such a stand will have political repercussions in the fall.

“And I just don’t think that’s a justification that is going to fly with many voters across the country,” Earnest said. “And I think that is even true in ruby-red states like Idaho. The people of Idaho, I think, when they elected their senator, they expected him to do his job. When they see that their senator is collecting a six-figure annual paycheck, they expect their senator to do their job. And right now, Senator Risch and his colleagues in the Senate Republican Conference aren’t.”

Risch aroused attention after McClatchy reported that Risch said he had no plans to meet with Garland until the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on his nomination.

A White House deputy press secretary tweeted the McClatchy story in which Risch said he had no plans to meet with Garland until the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on his nomination.:

Risch said he wanted a nominee similar to former Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative stalwart. And he said he opposed Garland for not supporting gun rights, among other things.

“If I meet with him, I’m spinning my wheels and he’s spinning his wheels,” Risch said. Once the Judiciary Committee votes, Risch said he’d be willing to meet with Garland: “And I will explain to him clearly and concisely why I will not vote for him.”

Risch said there’s no way to keep politics out of the fight over a Supreme Court nominee.

“The U.S. Supreme Court is very, very political, just like Congress is, just like the president of the United States. People wring their hands and say, ‘Oh, that’s terrible, you shouldn’t bring politics into it.’ How do you not bring politics into it?”

This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 3:18 PM with the headline "White House calls out Sen. Risch for opposing Supreme Court pick."