'Maybe she did, maybe she didn't': Donald Trump casts doubt on Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dying wish to have the next president replace her, saying it was actually from Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelosi
Donald Trump on Monday cast doubt on Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dying wish to have the next president replace her on the Supreme Court, alleging it was actually written by a Democrat.
He accused Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker Nancy Pelosi or House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff as being behind the justice's last request - an allegation that has no proof nor did Trump offer any.
'I don't know that she said that, or was that written out by Adam Schiff, Schumer and Pelosi,' Trump said during an interview on 'Fox & Friends.'
'I would be more inclined to the second, it sounds so beautiful. But that sounds like a Schumer deal or maybe a Pelosi or shifty Schiff. So that that came out of the wind. Let's see. I mean, maybe she did and maybe she didn't,' he added.
Donald Trump cast doubt on Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dying wish to have the next president replace her on the Supreme Court, alleging it was actually written by a Democrat.
'My most fervent wish is that I I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,' said Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a statement dictated days before her death
Ginsburg dedicated a message to her granddaughter Clara Spera in her dying days.
'My most fervent wish is that I I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,' she said.
Ginsburg, the justice beloved of the left who became famous for her fiery dissents, died on Friday at the age of 87 due to complications from her ongoing battle with pancreatic cancer.
Democrats have used Ginsburg's words and Republican Senator Mitch McConnell's actions in 2016 - when he held back President Barack Obama's nominee until the election was decided - as an argument to let the winner of November's contest nominate Ginsburg's replacement.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to hold a vote on the president's nominee, earning a charge of hypocriticism from Democrats.
President Trump said since Republicans won the last presidential election, he gets to nominate Ginsburg's replacement.
And, he said, he needed to nominate a new judge because there could be legal proceedings following the election.
With many states and voters using mail-in ballots, both parties are preparing to file legal cases on any voting irregularities.
'Look, the bottom line is we won the election. We have an obligation to do what's right and act as quickly as possible. We should act quickly because we're going to have probably election things involved here, you know,' he told 'Fox & Friends.'
Trump argued it was important to have a full court of nine justices in case of legal issues so a 4-4 tie would be avoided. However, if the Supreme Court had only eight justices, a tie decision on the high court would mean the lower court decision would stand.
'Well, we don't want of to have a tie, no, we don't, and we want to have nine justices,' he said.
'We won the election, and elections have consequences,' he said.
The president has already appointed two members of the Supreme Court, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, in moves that pushes the court increasingly to the right and maintained its 5-4 conservative majority.
Trump said he would nominate Ginsburg's replacement on Friday or Saturday – after funeral services have concluded for the late justice.
'I think it'll be on Friday or Saturday,' he said. 'And we want to pay respect. We, it looks like, it looks like we will have probably services on Thursday or Friday, as I understand it.'
Ginsburg is expected to lie in repose at the Supreme Court for two days, The New York Times reported.
It would be open to the public with a large crowd expected, particularly by those who view her as a feminist icon and hero to the left. Admirers left flowers and notes for Ginsburg on the Supreme Court's steps in the wake of her passing.
A ceremony inside the court is expected as early as Tuesday that would be followed by an outdoor viewing that would adhere to social distancing guidelines.
A small funeral service will be held for her, along with a burial at Arlington National Cemetery, later in the week. Her husband, Martin Ginsburg, was buried at Arlington in 2010.