Sen. Susan Collins said Tuesday she is "perplexed" by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's stance against President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, and that he's not happy with her because she thinks the Senate should hold confirmation hearings for him.
"I'm sure there's some people who are unhappy with me, but this is a solemn responsibility and is very important," the Maine Republican told
WGAN-AM in Portland, Maine about her belief that the hearings should be held for Obama's SCOTUS pick, Judge Merrick Garland.
When asked if she is "catching hell from her own party," Collins replied that she wasn't, except from McConnell.
"I must confess I'm a bit perplexed by his position, because let's say that Hillary Clinton is the next president of the United States," said Collins. "I personally believe that she would be likely to choose a nominee who is to the left of Judge Garland."
She continued that she knows McConnell cares about the court's balance, but if "the next president is a Democrat, then the balance could be tipped way further than Judge Garland, based on what I know about him so far."
Collins said she is also worried about who GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump would nominate, should he become president, because "he's rather unpredictable."
McConnell has said that blocking the SCOTUS nominee is a matter of "principle," as it would be better for the next nominee to come from whomever is elected this fall, Collins said the nominee "makes all the difference."
"That's what you evaluate and that's what I've always done when approached with judicial nominees," she said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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