Samantha Bee rips the false 'rule' that Republicans use to block the Supreme Court nominee
The first question was whether Obama would even make a nomination or hold off and let the next elected president do the honors. He answered that quickly by recently nominating Merrick Garland, a moderate judge who had previously been held in high regard by both parties.
Republican Senator Orrin Hatch had basically dared Obama to dump partisan politics and nominate Garland, whom Hatch called "a fine man."
So according to Bee, Obama then "fulfilled his constitutional duty to troll the Republicans so hard" by nominating Garland.
The Republican-controlled Senate quickly announced it wouldn't vote on Garland, and hit Obama back by citing the "Biden Rule." In 1992, the current vice president had asked President George H.W. Bush to hold off on his own Supreme Court nomination prior to November's election. But Biden also said that he'd support the senior Bush's nomination if he consulted with the Senate or provided a moderate nominee.
"That's so great," Bee exclaimed. "If that's the rule, let's get on with moderate Merrick's hearing."
The GOP then had another reason for postponing the hearing by invoking the "lame duck" argument, since Obama is serving his last year as president. Basically, Republicans in Congress argue that he shouldn't be able "to jam" a nomination through as he's preparing to vacate the White House.
"Jesus Christ, he's not a lame duck," a frustrated Bee argued. "He's three trimesters away from lame duckery. A president's term is four years. You can't say only three of them are legitimate and the fourth is garbage. They're not Indiana Jones movies."
Watch the full segment below: