Sen. Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) could be hamstringing Senate Republicans in a Supreme Court confirmation fight, by lavishing praising Elena Kagan in advance of Obama announcing a nominee.
In a Today Show interview this morning Hatch said the confirmation process for a “qualified” nominee would be expedited:
“I can say if the president picks somebody who is clearly qualified, I think there’s no question we can get that person through in a relatively short period of time,” Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said during an interview on the “Today Show”. “I don’t see any problem if the person is highly qualified. On the other hand, if he picks somebody strictly on — if he picks an activist judge, I don’t care whether the activist judge is a liberal or conservative, we ought to do everything in our power to defeat that person.”
Hatch has previously praised Solicitor General Elena Kagan, who is thought to be a frontrunner for the nomination, telling a conservative radio station last year that “She is a brilliant lawyer” who could be “a real dilemma” for Senate Republicans.