WASHINGTON
— Senator Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas, faced a barrage of
criticism from conservative groups on Friday after he broke with his
party’s leadership by saying he favored holding hearings on President
Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court.
A
founder of the Tea Party Patriots, Jenny Beth Martin, threatened to
encourage a primary challenge against Mr. Moran, saying that grass-roots
conservatives were “furious” with his stance. The reaction from that
group and others made it clear that they will tolerate no concessions in
the court battle, even as Democrats characterize Republicans’ actions
as an unprecedented dereliction of their constitutional obligation.
Mr.
Moran said at a small gathering in his home state this week that the
Senate should consider the nomination of Judge Merrick B. Garland. On
Friday, Mr. Moran said that he opposed the judge’s nomination, but he
did not back down on his support for holding hearings on the nominee.
“As
I have said since the vacancy was created, I believe I have a duty to
ask tough questions and demand answers,” he said in a statement. “I am
certain a thorough investigation would expose Judge Garland’s record and
judicial philosophy, and disqualify him in the eyes of Kansans and
Americans.”
Mr. Moran is one of only
f
our Senate Republicans
who have said they support holding hearings on the nomination, in spite
of a vow by Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader,
to let the next president fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice
Antonin Scalia.
Graphic
Where Republican Senators Stand on the Supreme Court Nomination
Fourteen Republicans and all Democrats are needed to break a filibuster and confirm the nominee.
Although
Mr. McConnell has said there is no need to meet with the nominee, more
than a dozen Republican senators have said they will do so. Senator
Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania, who is facing a difficult re-election
fight, said on Wednesday that he would sit down with Judge Garland.
Senator
Mark S. Kirk of Illinois, another endangered incumbent, will meet with
the judge on Tuesday, his spokeswoman said on Friday. It is expected to
be the nominee’s first such meeting with a Republican senator.
Mr.
Moran, a first-term senator who won 70 percent of the vote in his 2010
campaign, does not currently have any primary challengers. The filing
deadline for candidates in Kansas is June 1.
Ms. Martin, the Tea Party
leader, raised the prospect of backing another run by Milton Wolf, who
challenged Kansas’ other senator, Pat Roberts, in a Republican primary
in 2014. Mr. Wolf, a physician, ultimately lost, unable to overcome such travails as the revelation that he had posted patient X-rays on Facebook with mocking commentary.
The
firestorm touched off by Mr. Moran’s remarks was all the more notable
because, while serving as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial
Committee, he oversaw the 2014 campaign effort that gave Republicans a
majority. Mr. Moran made the remarks, first reported by
T
he Garden City Telegram, before a group of 10 people at a Town Hall in Cimarron, Kan.
Graphic
Why Obama Nominated Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court
Merrick B. Garland is a candidate who had support from
Republicans in the past but would still move the court in a progressive
direction.
“I
would rather have you complaining to me that I voted wrong on
nominating somebody than saying I’m not doing my job,” Mr. Moran told
his constituents on Monday.
“I
can’t imagine the president has or will nominate somebody that meets my
criteria, but I have my job to do,” he added. “I think the process
ought to go forward.”
Adam Brandon, the chief executive of FreedomWorks, an organization with ties to the Tea Party movement, said Mr. Moran’s stance explained the lack of trust voters have in public officials.
“Statements
like these are exactly why the grass-roots conservatives are rebelling
against the Republican establishment,” he said in a statement. “They
send a signal that Republicans will sell out their principles when it
becomes politically convenient to do so.”
Mr.
Brandon said activists had been urging Senate Republicans to stick to
the party leaders’ vow not to hold hearings on Mr. Obama’s nominee.
“If Republicans continue to ignore their calls, they do so at their peril,” he said.
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