Jake Tapper Repeatedly Grills Biden Deputy Campaign Manager on ‘Bizarre’ Dodging Over Court-Packing
Joe Biden has repeatedly dodged on whether he would “pack” the Supreme Court if he wins the election. He has called the question a distraction and said in recent weeks he doesn’t want to “play Trump’s game.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper repeatedly grilled Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield on the issue Sunday, calling the dodge “bizarre” when the former VP had staked out a clear position on this in the past.
Tapper first brought up Biden saying “it’s not Constitutional what [the GOP is] doing” and asked how exactly that’s the case.
“His point is the people have an opportunity to weigh in on this constitutional process through their vote,” Bedingfield said. “And we are now in the midst of the election. Millions of people have already cast their votes. And you see that the vast majority of people say that they want the person who wins the election on November 3rd to nominate the justice…”
“That’s a poll. That’s not the Constitution,’ Tapper said.
As Tapper continued asking Bedingfield to explain the “unconstitutional” jab, Bedingfield said Republicans are trying to hurry things along because “they don’t believe they have the electoral support.”
Tapper then brought up past comments Biden has made firmly opposing court-packing, remarking it’s “bizarre” Biden won’t answer the question now given what he’s said on the record before. “Why he is refusing to weigh in on it now?”
Bedingfield responded, “Because Donald Trump and the Republicans don’t get to set the terms of this debate. This is a distraction they want to throw out as a hypothetical that they want to throw out right now to distract from the fact they are trying to ram through a nominee who, as I said, is going to change the makeup of the court against the will of the American people.”
Tapper countered that it’s “not the Trump people who invented this question,” saying the idea came from progressives in the first place. He asked again if Biden has changed his mind since his last comments on the matter.
You can watch the full exchange above, via CNN.
