WASHINGTON ¨C Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois on Tuesday accused many of his fellow Senate Republicans of being ¡°closed-minded¡± by refusing to consider President Barack Obama¡¯s nomination of Merrick Garland to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Kirk, the first Republican senator to meet with Garland since the appellate court judge¡¯s March 16 nomination, told reporters before the private meeting: ¡°We need open-minded, rational, responsible people to keep an open mind to make sure the (confirmation) process works.¡±
Asked by a reporter whether that meant that Republican senators, such as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, were not open-minded and rational because they are refusing even to meet with Garland, Kirk responded, ¡°I think when you just say, ¡®I¡¯m not going to meet with him at all¡¯ ¡ª that¡¯s too closed-minded.¡±
Kirk, a first-term senator, is facing a tough re-election battle and may be one of the most endangered Senate Republicans in the Nov. 8 elections.
Obama nominated Garland to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Feb. 13.
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