On Sunday, CNN host Jake Tapper schooled a top official from Joe Biden’s campaign on live television for defending the Democratic presidential nominee’s recent false claim that Republicans in the Senate are violating the Constitution by filing the Supreme Court vacancy with Amy Coney Barrett.
While dodging questions about packing the Supreme Court once again on Saturday, Biden said, “It’s not constitutional what they’re doing,” referring to Republicans. The next day, Tapper confronted Biden’s deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield, asking her what exactly is unconstitutional about what Republicans are doing.
“[Biden] said it’s not constitutional, what they’re doing. How is it not constitutional what they’re doing?” Tapper asked.
“His point is that the people have an opportunity to weigh in on this constitutional process through their vote,” Bedingfield replied. “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 3 to nominate the justice to take this seat.”
Tapper, however, was not having any of it.
“That’s a poll,” he said bluntly. “That’s not the Constitution.”
“So, by trying to — by trying to — that is their constitutional — there’s the constitutional process of advise and consent,” a clearly flustered Bedingfield responded. “The American people get to have their say by voting for president, by voting for senators. We are now 23 days from the election.”
“Right, but it’s not unconstitutional,” the CNN host fired back.
Not used to being called out like this on a liberal network like CNN, Bedingfield stammered that millions of “voters are being denied their constitutional right to have a say in this process.”
“They elected the Senate,” Tapper said, giving her yet another lesson on the Constitution.
Bedingfield then said that “most Americans vehemently disagree” with confirming Barrett before the election, but once again, Tapper shut her down.
“Again, Kate, that’s a poll,” Tapper said. “That’s not what the word constitutional means. Constitutional doesn’t mean, I like it or I don’t like it. It means it’s according to the U.S. Constitution. There’s nothing unconstitutional about what the U.S. Senate is doing.”
We don’t often agree with Tapper, but it’s nice to see him calling out a Biden official for the former Vice President’s lies for once!
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