Chief Justice Roberts Issues Stunning Rebuke Against Schumer for ‘Threatening Statements’ Against Gorsuch, Kavanaugh (UPDATE: Schumer Responds)

Joe DePaoloMar 4th, 2020, 5:21 pm
 

Photo by Senate Television via Getty Images

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a stunning rebuke to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for making what Roberts termed “threatening statements” against two of his colleagues.

Schumer, on Wednesday morning, while the justices were hearing a case on abortion rights, spoke at a gathering of pro-choice advocates outside the Court. During his remarks, the New York senator went after Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

“I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price,” Schumer said. “You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions [in abortion cases].”

That comment moved Roberts to issue a rare condemnation (via Bloomberg’s Greg Stohr).

“Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous,” Roberts said.

UPDATE 5:53 p.m. ET — Schumer is firing back. In a statement, Schumer spokesperson Justin Goodman accused Roberts of not being impartial by not similarly condemning President Donald Trump last week for calling on Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor to recuse themselves from cases involving the president.

“For Justice Roberts to follow the right wing’s deliberate misinterpretation of what Sen. Schumer said, while remaining silent when President Trump attacked Justices Sotomayor and Ginsberg last week, shows Justice Roberts does not just call balls and strikes.”

Read the full statement below via NBC’s Frank Thorp:

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Joe DePaolo - Senior Editor

Joe DePaolo is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Email him here: joed@mediaite.com Follow him on Twitter: @joe_depaolo