Senate Republicans: Trump COVID-19 diagnosis won't stall Barrett confirmation

President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis won’t slow down Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday. McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said lawmakers won’t delay the Oct. 12 start of Barrett’s confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Full steam ahead with the fair, thorough, timely process that the nominee, the Court, & the country deserve,” McConnell tweeted. Senate Democrats are demanding a delay, arguing Trump may have infected others who could then spread it in the Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican who appeared in the Rose Garden last week when Trump announced Barrett’s nomination, has also tested positive. Lee met this week with Barrett, 48. But Barrett disclosed she already contracted the coronavirus and recovered from it in the summer. She tested negative on Friday. McConnell said he talked to the president earlier in the day. "Just finished a great phone call with @POTUS,” McConnell said. “He’s in good spirits and we talked business — especially how impressed Senators are with the qualifications of Judge Barrett.” Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, has no plans to delay the confirmation hearings. He also spoke with Trump on Friday. “The president was in good spirits this morning when I spoke with him and very engaged in the upcoming hearing regarding Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Barrett,” Graham said.

Democrats rejected the idea of holding a virtual hearing if needed. There are no plans for anything but an in-person event at this point. "It is premature for Chairman Graham to commit to a hearing schedule when we do not know the full extent of potential exposure stemming from the president’s infection and before the White House puts in place a contact tracing plan to prevent further spread of the disease," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, wrote in a letter Friday. "The unfortunate news about the infection of our colleague Senator Mike Lee makes even more clear that health and safety must guide the schedule for all Senate activities, including hearings." Graham said last week he plans to hold Barrett’s confirmation hearing beginning Oct. 12 and will hold a panel vote Oct. 22 to advance her nomination to the floor. McConnell has not indicated when the full Senate will vote, but Republicans believe it will happen before the Nov. 3 election. Democrats are eager to delay the confirmation, ideally until January, when the next president is sworn into office. But even a delay past the election could pull enough Republicans to stop Barrett if the GOP loses the Senate and the White House.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/senate-republicans-trump-covid-19-diagnosis-wont-stall-barrett-confirmation

Biden asks for transparency while insisting Trump's COVID-19 result isn't 'a matter of politics'

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden called for greater transparency after President Trump tested positive for COVID-19. "Every single American deserves safety and peace of mind, and it means we need transparency," he said Friday in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The former two-term vice president added: "Those who test positive need to participate in contact tracing so that everyone who they may have exposed can get tested themselves. That's how you stop transmission for any epidemic. It's basic." Trump revealed his COVID-19 diagnosis in an overnight tweet, but news top aide Hope Hicks had contracted the virus Wednesday wasn't disclosed by the White House. Instead, that development was uncovered by Bloomberg News late Thursday.

But roughly 30 days before their Nov. 3 election, Biden insisted Trump's positive test results were "not a matter of politics." "It's a bracing reminder to all of us that we have to take this virus seriously. It's not going away automatically," he said, urging Trump and his administration to rely on science in their pandemic response. In addition to increased access to testing, the 36-year Delaware senator implored Trump again to encourage people to wear masks. "Be patriotic. It's not about being a tough guy. It's about doing your part," he said. Biden flew to Michigan Friday afternoon for a scaled-back campaign swing after he and wife Jill, the former second lady, tested negative for COVID-19. At the United Food & Commercial Workers hall, Biden told the socially distanced crowd he actually took two COVID-19 tests that morning. Biden's trip was originally scheduled so that he could deliver remarks regarding the economy, coinciding with Friday's publication of the Labor Department's October jobs report. The data, which indicated the country's economic recovery slowed in September, is the last report expected before Election Day. Biden shared a stage with Trump for 90 minutes on Tuesday when they went head-to-head in their opening debate in Cleveland. Hicks was in the audience, many of whom ignored guidance from the host site to don a face covering.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/biden-asks-for-transparency-while-insisting-trumps-covid-19-result-isnt-a-matter-of-politics