Senator Orrin Hatch posted an op-ed early Thursday morning in the Deseret News regarding a meeting that he had with Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. In the op-ed, taken down moments later, he explained that his view regarding Garland had not changed and that he did not support his nomination.
Nothing unusual. The GOP has said that they don't plan to even hold a vote. Some GOP members have given into pressure from their consituents and agreed to a brief face to face, followed by a smilar dismissive statement from the Senator.
So what's the problem here? The meeting hadn't taken place. Yes, you read that right. This meeting, explained in detail, by a sworn Senator, never took place.
Here is the statement:
"Like many of my Senate colleagues, I recently met with Chief Judge Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court. I have known Judge Garland for many years and think highly of his character and credentials. He has an excellent reputation among lawyers and fellow judges alike. I met with Judge Garland as a personal friend and out of respect for his position as a distinguished federal judge.”
Our meeting, however, does not change my conviction that the Senate should consider a Supreme Court nominee after this presidential election cycle."
Unfortunately, the internet never forgets, and here is a cached version of the op-ed in all it's glory:
I guess posting a pre-written reflection on a meeting before the meeting actually happens is not ideal. pic.twitter.com/2Y4DiF6Ggs
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) May 26, 2016
Notice he references this meeting three times. THREE times. So here is my deduction:
1. He is a time traveler.
2. He has dementia.
3. He is a liar.
His office had no response to requests for comment. The most disgusting part of this whole charade is that although we always suspected that these meetings were for show, this conclusively shows it. Never, no chance, ever in a million years, will this exceptionally capable and qualified judge get a fair shake from the Party of Obstruction. They do nothing and expect full pay, and then lie about it. Congratulations, Republicans. You continue to live up to your reputation.
But Merrick Garland and the Supreme Court of the United States of America deserve better.
