Leader Schumer Floor Remarks Condemning Trump’s Nomination Of Loyalist Justin Smith To The Eighth Circuit Court

Washington, D.C. - Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on the Senate floor to denounce Trump's decision to nominate Justin Smith, an alt-right loyalist and election denier the Eight Circuit Court. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

With his nomination of Justin Smith to the Eighth Circuit Court, Donald Trump continues continues to stack our courts with judges whose only qualification is their complete loyalty to him and his extreme far-right agenda.

Smith checks all of Trump's boxes. Smith currently serves as Trump's lead counsel in his cases against E. Jean Caroll, who received $90 million after juries found Trump liable for sexually assaulting and defaming her. Smith also helped prepare Trump's lead counsel for the Supreme Court case to grant the president absolute immunity to break the law. A longtime Republican operative, Smith once wrote in 2007 that "abortion is murder, gay marriage is a sin… and on these principles of our party, there must be no equivocation." In keeping with Trump's efforts to undermine America's elections, Smith also supported efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election

Trump's nomination of Smith to the Eighth Circuit is part of his effort to undermine the rights of the American people and to turn our justice system into a rubber stamp for his egregious crimes.

I strongly urge a no vote from my colleagues.

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