McConnell team mocks Schumer call to nominate Merrick Garland to Supreme Court

close

Video

Media using the Supreme Court to play identity politics?

Judge Barrett's faith mocked as a 'potential weakness.' Panel debates the media's stance.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's campaign team ridiculed a request by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that President Trump nominate Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

A person familiar with the conversation told Fox that Schumer called the president on Tuesday to discuss the looming court vacancy. During the call, Schumer urged Trump to nominate Garland as a way to unify the country.

In response to a report about the phone call in The Washington Post, the verified Twitter account @Team_Mitch posted a GIF of basketball great Michael Jordan laughing.

Garland, the chief judge of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama in 2016 after the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia. McConnell declined to consider Garland, saying that Scalia's replacement should be left to the next president.

McConnell's gambit paid off when Trump won the presidency and nominated Neil Gorsuch to replace Scalia.

Last year, some Republicans floated Garland as a possible FBI director to replace the fired James Comey. However, that job eventually went to Christopher Wray.

Trump has said that he will formally announce his pick to replace Kennedy on Monday. Multiple sources have told Fox News that the process has focused on three finalists: Brett Kavanaugh, a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals; Raymond Kethledge, of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals; and Amy Coney Barrett, of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

The person with knowledge of Schumer's call also told Fox News that the Senate Democratic leader warned Trump not to nominate a judge who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case legalizing abortion nationwide, or overturn ObamaCare.

Garland was not on the list of 25 names that Trump has promised to use in selecting his nominees.

Fox News' John Roberts and Fox Business Network's Blake Burman contributed to this report.