Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer evaded a question Wednesday about whether he regrets threatening U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh about overturning Roe v. Wade.
CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju said he asked Schumer, a pro-abortion Democrat, about his 2020 comments after Kavanaugh was the target of an assassination attempt earlier this month. Police said the alleged assassin traveled across country and bought a gun to kill the justice after a leaked draft Supreme Court ruling showed Kavanaugh agreeing to overturn Roe.
“Asked Schumer if he regretted his 2020 comments that Justices will ‘pay the price,’ which have gotten renewed attention,” Raju wrote on Twitter.
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Asked Schumer if he regretted his 2020 comments that Justices will “pay the price,” which have gotten renewed attention, and he said: “First of all, I’m against violence in any way. I’m for peaceful protests, but I’m against violence. Number two, we in …
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 22, 2022
Schumer replied: “First of all, I’m against violence in any way. I’m for peaceful protests, but I’m against violence. Number two, we in the Senate passed legislation very quickly to deal with the Supreme Court and I’m very glad the perpetrator was caught,” according to CNN. The legislation increased security for the justices and their families.
However, CNN pointed out that Schumer also did not answer the question directly.
… the Senate passed legislation very quickly to deal with the Supreme Court and I’m very glad the perpetrator was caught.”
Didn’t address his comment— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 22, 2022
In 2020, Schumer, who represents New York, threatening Kavanaugh and another conservative justice, Neil Gorsuch, if they dared to overturn Roe and allow states to protect unborn babies from abortion again.
“I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,” Schumer said at a March 4, 2020 pro-abortion rally.
The comment prompted a rare rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. In a statement at the time, Roberts described Schumer’s remarks as “dangerous” and “threatening.”
“Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous,” Roberts said at the time.
Schumer later did apologize, but his noticeable silence about the recent assassination attempt on Kavanaugh’s life has left many with questions and concerns.
After news of the incident broke June 8, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, shared a video of Schumer’s comments on Twitter, writing, “Cause and effect.”
U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, a pro-life Republican from Missouri, also called out the Democrat leader, writing: “Senator Schumer told Justice Kavanaugh that he will ‘pay the price’ for decisions Democrats don’t like. And he is leading the Senate? Reprehensible.”
Legal experts warned that Schumer’s comments could be misinterpreted by pro-abortion radicals. According to Newsweek:
On [June 8], Jonathan Turley, the Shapiro Chair of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, warned that Schumer’s words could be misinterpreted by people like the man who was reportedly armed with a handgun, knife and pepper spray.
“While clearly unintended, some can take the wrong meaning from words like those from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the steps of the Supreme Court that expressly referred to Justice Kavanaugh…,” Turley tweeted.
Threats and violence against the court and pro-life advocates have increased since the leak in early May, and authorities expect more violence in the days ahead. Five pro-life offices have been targets of arson, and dozens more pro-life organizations and churches have been vandalized.
State and federal Republican leaders have been urging the Biden administration to stop ignoring the increasing violence and prosecute pro-abortion radicals as domestic terrorists.
While a Biden spokesperson did condemn the assassination attempt and other violence, the Biden administration also has refused to condemn the doxxing of the justices or the illegal protests outside their homes.
The FBI announced an investigation into the pro-abortion violence last week.
The Supreme Court is expected to release its final ruling on the Dobbs case later this month.
