McConnell pressing GOP senators to oppose Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court nomination: report

• McConnell during a recent GOP lunch implored his caucus to reject Ketanji Brown Jackson's SCOTUS nomination.
• He reportedly praised Judiciary Republicans for scrutinizing the judge's sentencing history, per The Hill.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is pressing his GOP caucus to vote against confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, according to The Hill.

Despite the groundbreaking nomination of Jackson — who would become the first Black woman in US history to sit on the high court if she is successfully confirmed — the Kentucky Republican argued that a "no" vote would not be based on "race or gender" but on the judge's record, per the publication.

During a recent Senate GOP lunch, McConnell reportedly implored his colleagues to reject Jackson, arguing that the judge on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit eschewed a tough-on-crime approach, a narrative that many Judiciary Committee Republicans pushed during her confirmation hearings as they questioned her judicial sentencing record in several sex-related cases.

One Republican senator told The Hill that McConnell lauded members of the judiciary committee for elevating the sentencing issue in the public eye.

"He sought recognition and said, 'I just want to thank the members of the Judiciary Committee for the great work they've done in exposing this judge's radical record and in particular her record on child pornography cases are alarmingly extreme,'" the unnamed lawmaker told the publication.

McConnell then brought up the case of Wesley Hawkins, who in 2013 appeared before then-federal district court judge Brown in a child pornography case where he pleaded guilty to a felony offense.

At the time of his arrest, Hawkins was 18 years old, and he was 19 years old when Jackson imposed a prison term of three months, in addition to three months of home detention and six years of supervision.

Many conservatives have argued that the sentence was too lenient. Prosecutors in the case recommended two years of jail time, while Hawkins's defense attorney asked for one day in jail and five years of supervised release.

Hawkins did not have a prior criminal record.

During the lunch, McConnell reportedly continued to lean into the Hawkins case.

"I think the Democrats thought this would be an easy process, confirmation but it's not going to be because she's a radical nominee and I would hope that every Republican would look seriously at her record, which I think is troubling," he said, according to a source.

The Republican leader's messaging is exerting some pressure on some of Jackson's potential GOP backers in the upper chamber, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah.

Murkowski was present at the lunch but made no comments regarding McConnell's speech, according to The Hill.

Romney earlier this week said that he "enjoyed" meeting with Jackson and was still mulling over his decision.

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the Republican ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, said this week that he was still undecided on Jackson's nomination. He was complimentary of her being "very smart in her answers," but also expressed dismay that she would not state her opinion on expanding of the Supreme Court, an issue that she would have no control over if confirmed.

On Thursday, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced that she would vote to confirm Jackson to the court, the first Republican lawmaker to commit to supporting her nomination.

McConnell can't stop Jackson's nomination, as no member of the 50-member Senate Democratic caucus has indicated that they would oppose her nomination. However, the GOP leader is hardening his party's messaging headed into the midterm elections.

Scott Jennings, a Kentucky-based Republican strategist with ties to McConnell, told The Hill that Jackson's nomination "fits into the overall [message that] the Democrats are soft on crime and criminals and Republicans aren't."

"That is going to be a big narrative in this campaign," he told the publication.

Democrats have firmly rejected any notion that Jackson sought leniency for offenders, alleging that Republicans have repeatedly taken her sentencing decisions out of context. The party argued that Jackson is one of many judges who have sought to have federal advisory guidelines updated since internet-based crimes have become more widespread over the past twenty years.

McConnell during a recent Fox News interview described Jackson as "very smart" but said that she would not follow a strict interpretation of the Constitution.

"She's a judicial activist. She's very smart, she's very capable. She's going to be exactly what President [Joe] Biden wants — a very liberal Supreme Court justice," he said.