>>> YOU SAID YOU’LL MAKE THE
ANNOUNCEMENT THIS WEEK.
CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THAT?
THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK?
WHAT DAY?
>> I THINK IT WILL BE ON FRIDAY
OR SATURDAY.
AND WE WANT TO PAY RESPECT.
IT LOOKS LIKE -- IT LOOKS LIKE
WE WILL HAVE PROBABLY SERVICES
ON THURSDAY OR FRIDAY, AS I
UNDERSTAND IT.
AND I THINK WITH ALL DUE RESPECT
WE SHOULD WAIT UNTIL THE
SERVICES ARE OVER FOR JUSTICE
GINSBURG.
SO, WE’RE LOOKING PROBABLY AT
FRIDAY OR MAYBE SATURDAY.
>> ALL RIGHT.
JOINING US NOW, THE SECOND
RANKING DEMOCRAT IN THE SENATE,
MEMBER OF THE JUDICIARY
COMMITTEE, MINORITY WHIP, DICK
DURBIN OF ILLINOIS.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON.
>> SENATOR, THANKS SO MUCH FOR
BEING WITH US.
WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THE
PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT THIS
MORNING THAT HE’S GOING TO BE
ANNOUNCING A NEW SUPREME COURT
NOMINEE ON FRIDAY OR SATURDAY?
>> WELL, YOU THINK THERE WOULD
BE AT LEAST A DECENT INTERVAL TO
HONOR RUTH BADER GINSBURG BEFORE
THE POLITICAL PROCESS BEGINS IN
TOTAL, BUT APPARENTLY NOT.
THEY ARE BOUND AND DETERMINE,
HELL-BENT ON ANNOUNCING THIS DOM
KNEE AND CLEARING THEM AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
>> YEAH.
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION OVERALL TO
YOUR COLLEAGUES, LINDSEY GRAHAM,
SOUTH CAROLINA, STEVE DAINES OUT
OF MONTANA, GUYS THAT ARE IN
VERY CLOSE SENATORIAL RACES THIS
YEAR, PROMISING THEIR
CONSTITUENTS IN MONTANA AND
SOUTH CAROLINA THAT THEY WOULD
NEVER SUPPORT THE NOMINATION OF
A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE IN A
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEAR, AND
THEN BOTH OF THEM LYING TO THEIR
VOTERS AND DOING JUST THAT WITH
STATEMENTS THEY MADE AFTER THE
DEATH OF RUTH BADER GINSBURG?
>> I’M SADDENED FOR MY
REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES.
THEY HAVE BEEN COWER ED BY
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
THEY’VE BEEN RIDICULED BY THOSE
IN THEIR OWN RANKS, AND MITCH
McCONNELL -- HE BEGGED HIM FOR
YEARS AGO TO SAY SOMETHING THAT
THEY WOULD STAND BY HIM
REGARDLESS, THEY WOULD NOT GIVE
OBAMA AN OPPORTUNITY TO FILL
THIS VACANCY AND SAY IT WAS THE
RIGHT, PROPER AND LOGICAL THING
TO DO.
FOUR YEARS LATER THEY REVERSE
HIS POSITION AND THEY ALL MARCH
BEHIND HIM.
IT’S A SAD DAY IN THE SENATE.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S GOING TO ADD
TO THE DIVISION IN OUR COUNTRY.
>> SENATOR, AFTER WHAT MITCH
McCONNELL AND THE REPUBLICANS
DID TO MERRITT GARLAND IN 2016,
THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE THAT
SUGGESTED THAT THERE’S NOTHING
SACROSANCT OF ALLOWING MEMBERS
OF THE SUPREME COURT -- THAT
NUMBER HAS MOVED, EXPANDED AT
TIMES, HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION,
HAVING A REQUIREMENT SET FOR
NINE.
OF COURSE, FDR TRIED TO PACK THE
COURT, AND IT WAS ONE OF HIS
BIGGEST POLITICAL FAILURES.
I’M JUST CURIOUS, THOUGH, IF
THIS -- IF REPUBLICANS GO
THROUGH WITH THIS, WITH THE BACK
DROP OF MERRITT GARLAND AND NOW
THEM DOING THIS, IS THIS
SOMETHING DEMOCRATS WOULD
CONSIDER DOING IN 2021?
I KNOW SOME HAVE SAID NO, BUT IS
THIS SOMETHING YOU WOULD LOOK
AT, THE POSSIBILITY OF EXPANDING
THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS ON THE
SUPREME COURT?
>> JOE, I KNOW YOU WANT TO DRAW
ME INTO SPECULATION, BUT I’M NOT
GOING TO THAT PLACE.
>> NO, I DON’T.
I DON’T WANT TO DRAW YOU INTO
ANY SPECULATION AT ALL.
I’M CURIOUS AS AN AMERICAN AND
SOMEBODY WHO LOVES THE SUPREME
COURT AND BELIEVES VERY MUCH THE
LEGITIMACY OF THE SUPREME COURT
IS ABOUT AS IMPORTANT AS
ANYTHING IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
SO, NO, I DON’T WANT TO DRAW YOU
INTO ANYTHING.
I’M CURIOUS WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT
THAT.
>> WELL, IT IS NOT JUST A
QUESTION OF LEGITIMACY, THOUGH
THAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE.
THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO DO IS
TO CONVINCE AMERICA OF THE
RELEVANCY OF THE SUPREME COURT,
THAT LITERALLY THEIR DECISION ON
THE AAFFORDABLE CARE ACT IN THE
MIDST OF A PANDEMIC WOULD MEAN
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS COULD
POSSIBLY LOSE THEIR HEALTH
INSURANCE PROTECTION.
PEOPLE THEN THINK, WELL, THIS
ISN’T JUST AN ARGUMENT AMONG THE
BIG SHOTS IN WASHINGTON.
THIS COULD REALLY AFFECT MY
FAMILY.
WE’RE NOT AT THAT POINT YET.
AND I THINK WE WANT TO MAKE IT
CLEAR TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE SUPREME COURT
IN THEIR DAILY LIVES.
THEN THE QUESTION OF ITS FUTURE,
YOU KNOW, I’M -- I’M NOT GOING
TO GO TO THE PLACE OF MAKING A
DETERMINATION.
I THINK THAT’S FAR IN THE
FUTURE.
WE WANT TO DEAL WITH THE CURRENT
VACANCY ON THE COURT AND THE
IMPORTANCE OF THAT VACANCY WHEN
IT COMES TO THE LIVES OF
ORDINARY AMERICANS.
>> IT WAS SO MOVING TO HEAR WHAT
CONSERVATIVES AND LIBERALS ALIKE
ON THE COURT SAID ABOUT RUTH
BADER GINSBURG AND THEIR
REMEMBRANCES.
OF COURSE, EUGENE SCALIA WROTE A
VERY MOVING PIECE THIS PAST
WEEKEND FOR "THE WASHINGTON
POST" ABOUT THE SPECIAL
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RUTH BADER
GINSBURG AND HIS FATHER, ANTONIN
SCALIA.
I’M WONDERING WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS
ARE ABOUT THE LIFE AND THE
LEGACY OF RUTH BADER GINSBURG,
AND IS THERE A PERSONAL MOMENT
FOR YOU THAT STANDS OUT ABOUT
WHAT A REMARKABLE WOMAN SHE IS.
>> JOE, I CAN JUST TELL YOU THAT
I HAVE BEEN STRUCK BY HOW
PERSONALLY MOVING THIS WAS FOR
SO MANY PEOPLE.
I’VE BEEN HERE IN CHICAGO,
HEADED BACK TO WASHINGTON TODAY
WHERE I’LL SEE THE DEMONSTRATION
AT THE SUPREME COURT FIRSTHAND,
BUT I HAVE SPOKEN TO WOMEN IN MY
FAMILY, WHO SPEAK OF HER IN
TERMS THAT JUST SHOW WHAT AN
IMPACT SHE’S HAD ON THE LIVES OF
SO MANY PEOPLE.
I HAD MY OPPORTUNITY TO MEET AND
TALK WITH HER.
SHE WAS SUCH A KIND AND IN MANY
WAYS HUMBLE PERSON ON A PERSONAL
BASIS, BUT WHAT EXTRAORDINARY
COURAGE.
THIS VAILLANT LADY STOOD UP
AGAINST THE ODDS HER ENTIRE
LIFE, SPEAKING UP FOR WOMEN AND
THOSE WHO WERE OFTEN FORGOTTEN
BY SOCIETY.
AND I THINK IT’S AN INCREDIBLE
LEGACY.
AND TO THINK SHE PASSED WITHIN
DAYS OF JOHN LEWIS, A CIVIL
RIGHTS ICON, YOU KNOW, IT
REMINDS US OF THE PEOPLE IN OUR
MIDST WHO HAVE SACRIFICED SO
MUCH TO BRING US TO WHERE WE ARE
TODAY AND HOW IT IS ALL AT STAKE
NOW AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS
ELECTION AND WITH THIS PROCESS
TO FILL THE SUPREME COURT
VACANCY.
>> IT REALLY DOES.
>> SENATOR DICK DURBIN, THANK
YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS ON
RUTH BADER GINSBURG’S PASSING
AND, GO CUBS.
>> THERE IS THAT.
>> GO WHITE SOX, TOO.