Hawley pushes for censure of Democratic leader Schumer after Supreme Court comments
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a resolution Thursday to censure Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer after the New York Democrat warned two Supreme Court Justices they would “pay the price” if they voted against abortion rights in a major case pending before the court.
Schumer’s remarks have been widely criticized, but it’s unclear whether Senate GOP leadership will support Hawley’s effort to censure the Democratic leader or allow it a vote on the floor. Censure serves as an official condemnation of a lawmaker, but it would not remove Schumer from office.
Schumer referred by name Wednesday to Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh— the two justices the Senate has confirmed since President Donald Trump took office — while speaking at an abortion rights rally outside the Supreme Court.
“You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,” he said, warning the justices not to vote against abortion rights in the pending case.
The court is weighing the constitutionality of a Louisiana law that requires abortion providers to have admission privileges at a nearby clinic or hospital. Abortion rights advocates say the law say is intended to make it more difficult for providers to operate.
The court struck down a similar Texas law in 2016, before Gorsuch or Kavanaugh joined the court.
Hawley’s censure resolution, which has 14 Republican co-sponsors, invoked the shooting of House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, in 2017 and Schumer’s comments about the dangers of violent rhetoric at the time of that incident.
“Senator Schumer has acknowledged that threatening statements can increase the dangers of violence against government officials when he stated on June 15, 2017, following the attempted murder of several elected Members of Congress, ‘We would all be wise to reflect on the importance of civility in our [N]ation’s politics’ and that ‘the level of nastiness, vitriol, and hate that has seeped into our politics must be excised,’” the resolution states.
Hawley said he discussed censure with Senate GOP leadership and during a White House meeting Thursday. He declined to reveal President Donald Trump’s reaction or whether he expected leadership’s support.
Of the 14 Republican co-sponsors, none are party leaders. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office did not comment on the resolution Thursday.
Even if McConnell, R-Kentucky, signs onto the resolution in the future, it doesn’t necessarily mean he will bring it to a vote on the Senate floor. McConnell often signs onto partisan resolutions from his members as a way of fostering unity in the GOP caucus, but these measures never advance.
One member of Senate GOP leadership, Hawley’s fellow Missouri Republican, Sen. Roy Blunt, criticized Schumer’s remarks as “reckless and irresponsible,” but he did not say whether he supported the censure resolution.
Following the backlash to his comments, Schumer’s spokesman Justin Goodman said the New York Democrat was not advocating violence but describing “the political price Senate Republicans will pay for putting these justices on the court, and a warning that the justices will unleash a major grassroots movement on the issue of reproductive rights against the decision.”
Goodman did not immediately respond to an email about Hawley’s resolution.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, who is closely aligned with leadership, was also cool to the idea of pursuing a censure against Schumer, arguing it would motivate Democrats to take similar steps against Trump for his rhetoric.
“If you start this, there’s probably no end to it. I didn’t like what he said. It really was dangerous… I think the burden’s on Sen. Schumer to kind of walk this back in a meaningful way. That’s enough for me,” Graham said. “Because if we start censuring him, they’re going to censure Trump and this stuff never ends. But he did say something that needs to be corrected.”
South Carolina’s other Republican senator, Tim Scott, is one of Hawley’s co-sponsors. Scott called Schumer’s comments dangerous.
“There’s not many consequences for lifetime appointments, so one could easily interpret it to mean things that would really be outside the norm,” Scott said.
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 3:29 PM.
