Some African-American lawmakers urged their Congressional Black Caucus colleagues to skip a meeting with Valerie Jarrett because of discontent with President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee.
The members are irked by Obama’s selection of a moderate judge instead of a progressive who could rally the base, according to three lawmakers and senior aides familiar with the meeting. They also don’t think that their input was adequately sought by the administration before Merrick Garland was nominated.
A source said members are asking themselves, “What is the point” of attending the meeting, now that Garland has been nominated. The meeting took place on Thursday morning.
And some of the lawmakers questioned why Garland, who is white, was selected over a minority in an effort to make the court more diverse.
Jarrett, a senior adviser to Obama, was on the Hill Thursday to meet with the CBC about Garland’s nomination and other topics, according to a source.
The process to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Antonin Scalia has been acrimonious. Senate Republican leaders are refusing to hold confirmation hearings for Garland, saying Obama should not be able to influence the ideological bent of the court so close to a presidential election.
Source: Politico | LAUREN FRENCH
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