House Speaker Nancy Pelosi snapped at a reporter Thursday when pressed about her refusal to fast-track a bill that would fund security for Supreme Court justices’ families and claimed said families will be just fine if she waits an entire weekend to bring the bill up for a vote.
During the briefing, Pelosi said she intends to bring the bill up for a vote next week rather than this Thursday or Friday.
“We had hoped that we could do it today but we certainly will do it at the beginning of next week,” she said.
She defended the decision by claiming that the Supreme Court justices and their families will be just fine this upcoming weekend because they’re “protected.”
But as Pelosi was stepping away from the podium at the conclusion of the press conference, one reporter spoke out to question this dubious narrative.
Nancy Pelosi is protected by a security detail but is blocking security for Supreme Court justices.
Unconscionable.
— Max Miller (@MaxMillerOH) June 8, 2022
“How can you say the justices are protected when there was an attempt on Justice Kavanaugh’s life? You said the justices are protected, but there was an attempt on Justice Kavanaugh’s life,” the reporter asked.
Indeed, early Thursday morning an armed far-left extremist was arrested outside Kavanaugh’s home. He later told authorities that he “began thinking about how to give his life purpose and decided that he would kill the Supreme Court Justice after finding the justice’s Montgomery County address on the Internet,” according to court documents.
Pelosi, who’d been walking away from the podium, stopped mid-step, turned around, and purported to offer an answer.
“And he’s protected. He’s protected. The justices are protected. This issue isn’t about the justices. It’s about the staff and the rest,” she said.
In other words, she believes the real threat is to the justice’s staff, not the justices and their families because apparently they’re somehow “protected.”
“But this is about security for the justices. An armed man showed up near Justice Kavanaugh’s house to try to …,” the reporter responded before being cut off.
“We’re working together on the bill that the Senate will be able to approve of,” Pelosi replied, referencing the stalled bill.
“We can pass whatever we want to. We want it to be able to pass the Senate. So I don’t know what you’re talking about, because evidently, you haven’t seen what the debate is. Not debate, but language is. There will be a bill, but nobody is in danger over the weekend because of us not having the bill,” she said.
But it seems she’s the one who doesn’t know what she’s talking about, as there’s no need to worry about making the bill so that it’s “able to pass the Senate,” because the bill in fact originated in the upper house of Congress.
This morning’s disturbing reports are exactly why the Senate unanimously passed a Supreme Court security bill weeks ago. But House Democrats have inexplicably blocked it. House Democrats need to stop their blockade and pass this uncontroversial bill today. pic.twitter.com/wd8UB5RDvm
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) June 8, 2022
Plus, the desire to pass the bill is bipartisan.
“If the families of Supreme Court Justices have the same profile and exposure as the highest ranking officials in our government, they deserve the same level of protection,” Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat, said on May 29th after the bill passed in the Senate by unanimous consent, as reported by CNN.
“We must take threats that come from extremes on both sides of the political spectrum against Supreme Court Justices seriously, and that makes this bill an unfortunate necessity,” he added.
Republicans agreed.
“The events of the past week have intensified the focus on Supreme Court Justices’ families, who are unfortunately facing threats to their safety in today’s increasingly polarized political climate,” Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, said at the time.
“We must act to ensure Justices and their families are protected from those who wish to cause them harm by extending Supreme Court police security to family members,” he added.
But Pelosi refused to take up the bill, prompting even top Democrat Dick Durbin, the Senate Majority Whip, to cry foul:
Durbin said he is “very much” concerned that the House hasn’t acted on a bill to protect SCOTUS justices. House has wanted to add protections to staff and clerks.
“I’m all for that, but they shouldn’t hold up the whole process to achieve that goal,” he said, per @morgan_rimmer
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 19, 2022
Durbin reiterated this sentiment Thursday.
If House lawmakers “want to expand [the bill] as I understand they are thinking about, for goodness sakes do it. Do it on a timely basis. Let’s get into conversation to get this passed once and for all,” he said, according to Bloomberg.
Yet, as Pelosi made perfectly clear during her briefing Thursday, this simply isn’t a priority for her. And for that, she’s now facing growing scrutiny and backlash.
Look:
Why is @SpeakerPelosi choosing to personally block increased security for the Supreme Court?
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) June 9, 2022
Imagine blocking and delaying a bill to provide more security for Supreme Court justices and their families after an assassination attempt…and then claiming nobody is in danger
Yet that’s exactly what @SpeakerPelosi has done over the past 24 hours
— Chad Gilmartin (@ChadGilmartinCA) June 9, 2022
By the way, @SpeakerPelosi won’t allow a bite in the House in 24/7 security forces Supreme Court Justices? Senate passed unanimously! Nancy is a vile human being. 😡😡😡
— David Benjamin (@thetoyman1) June 9, 2022
.@SenSchumer went to Supreme Court to threaten Kavanaugh and Gorsuch over abortion case.
Biden White House blessed illegal protests at justices’ homes.
Attorney General Merrick Garland refuses to prosecute.@SpeakerPelosi refuses to pass 100-0 Senate bill to increase security. https://t.co/y4Pc1xaDr1
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) June 8, 2022
Meanwhile, as Pelosi drags her feet, illegal protests continue to erupt outside the homes of the high court’s conservative justices.
Look:
Why are they still let this idiots protest outside Justice Kavanaugh’s home?
— Americanka🇺🇸 (@4AmKa4) June 9, 2022
Now: Abortion Rights Activists return in rain to Brett Kavanaugh’s home, continuing their month’s long marathon of protests at SCOTUS homes. @RuthSentUs @OurRightsDC @downrightimp Their story: https://t.co/seYszDafoN pic.twitter.com/TjtJX7DjhW
— DCMediaGroup (@DCMediaGroup) June 9, 2022
GO HOME! Reproductive rights Activists remain committed to non-violent message; undaunted by today’s incident in Brett Kavanaugh’s neighborhood in which a man was arrested; intend to keep up protests. pic.twitter.com/sJcBz0li1C
— Terri Green (@TerriGreenUSA) June 8, 2022
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