McConnell: US Must Prosecute Those Behind ‘Lawless’ Leak of SCOTUS Draft Decision on Roe v. Wade
© AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite
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Late Monday night, Politico published a draft opinion authored by Justice Samuel Alito revealing that SCOTUS had voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, a 1973 decision that protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to elect to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. The leak has brought crowds of abortion rights protesters to Washington, DC.
As states brace for the impending SCOTUS ruling in regard to Roe v. Wade, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is calling for the prosecution of those involved in the “lawless” leak of SCOTUS Justice Samuel Alito’s draft majority opinion.
“This lawless action should be investigated and punished to the fullest extent possible, the fullest extent possible,” McConnell proclaimed during a Tuesday speech from the Senate floor.
Per the draft, SCOTUS Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh joined Alito in voting to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“I’m certain the chief justice will seek to get to the bottom of this,” said the Senate minority leader. “If a crime was committed, the Department of Justice must pursue it completely.”
MCCONNELL: "Whoever committed this lawless act knew exactly what it could bring about...Everybody knows what kind of climate the far left is trying to fuel." pic.twitter.com/xfXRqjHdE0
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 3, 2022
Not long after McConnell’s remarks, Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the leaked document and announced he has directed the marshal of the court to launch a probe “into the source of the leak.” However, the draft does not reflect the final decision of the court, according to Roberts.
“This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here,” the chief justice proclaimed.
The actual decision is not expected to be handed down for another couple of months.
Later on Tuesday, McConnell was asked by a reporter whether he takes “personal credit” for the possibility of abortion rights being taken away, as he “spent decades trying to remake” the Supreme Court.
“I think the story today is [an] effort by somebody on the inside to discredit the institution of the Senate,” said the Senate minority leader. McConnell likely meant to say “Supreme Court,” rather than “Senate.”
"You spent decades trying to remake the court, overturn Roe ... Do you take personal credit for abortion rights likely to go away for millions of people in this country?"
— The Recount (@therecount) May 3, 2022
— CNN's @mkraju to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell pic.twitter.com/fME9bTqNMh
Senate Democrats voiced their concerns and vented frustrations related to the leak during a private lunch meeting on Tuesday, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
“If we had to pick a word that our caucus feels, it’s infuriated,” he said of Senate Democrats. “Infuriated by the alleged decision, infuriated by the lies these justices told us when they said they’d respect precedent, infuriated by our Republican colleagues who don’t tell the truth.”
Schumer told reporters that McConnell did not voice his support for repealing Roe v. Wade during the meeting.
“Every time it was brought up substantively about Roe v. Wade, all he did was talk about the leaks,” the Senate majority leader said.
“Republicans are spending all their focus on the leak because they don’t want to focus on Roe v. Wade. They know they are on the wrong side of history.”
In anticipation of the decision, Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) and several other governors have called upon US Congress to implement Roe v. Wade protections into federal law.
“This legislation is critical,” Whitmer tweeted. “We must act at the state and federal level to protect the right to legal abortion.”
Signees include the governors of Wisconsin, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and the Virgin Islands.
