Bennet to liberal critics of his judicial votes: 'They deserve an 'F''
WASHINGTON — Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Sunday pushed back at progressives questioning his handling of judicial votes during the Trump administration, blasting those critics for lacking "discipline."
The debate boils down (in part) to Bennet's decision not to join the Democratic filibuster of Justice Neil Gorsuch, a failed attempt to block the nominee from receiving a confirmation vote.
While a critical mass of Democrats kept Gorsuch short of the 60-vote threshold that was needed at the time to advance his nomination, the stalemate in the Senate prompted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to evoke the "nuclear option" and remove that 60-vote threshold.
Progressives, including the "Demand Justice" group that's trying to rally liberal opposition to Trump's judicial picks, have blasted Bennet for not joining the filibuster, painting him as acquiescing to Trump's nominees. Demand Justice's annual scorecard grades Bennet an 'F' on his "willingness to fight Trump's judges."
But the Colorado Democrat took issue with that grade during a Sunday interview on NBC's "Meet the Press."
He argued that progressives erred by goading McConnell into scrapping the nuclear option over Gorsuch, who was nominated to replace the conservative-leaning Justice Antonin Scalia after his death.
Instead, he argued, Democrats should have waited to elevate the fight until the retirement of former Justice Anthony Kennedy, when the ideological balance of the court was at stake.
"Unlike Mitch McConnell, we didn't have the discipline to play it strategically. We were non-strategic and as a result, when Kavanaugh got there, Democrats could do nothing except pretend to our base that we were fighting," Bennet said.
"Those who conceived of this strategy continue to advocate it and continue to attack other Democrats who disagree with them. I think they deserve an 'F.'"
Watch the full interview with Bennet below.