- President Donald Trump on Wednesday rebuked Democrats after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer appeared to criticize two justices on the Supreme Court.
- "This is a direct & dangerous threat to the US Supreme Court by Schumer," Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday. "If a Republican did this, he or she would be arrested, or impeached. Serious action MUST be taken NOW!"
- A week prior to Trump's criticism, the president also lambasted two liberal justices and demanded them to recuse themselves from any of his ongoing legal trials.
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President Donald Trump on Wednesday rebuked Democrats after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer appeared to criticize two justices on the Supreme Court.
"This is a direct & dangerous threat to the US Supreme Court by Schumer," Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday. "If a Republican did this, he or she would be arrested, or impeached. Serious action MUST be taken NOW!"
Trump suggested in a separate tweet that Schumer was "threatening the Supreme Court" and that he "must pay a severe price."
Speaking to a crowd in front of the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Schumer was describing a nearby, opposing rally as "the bad guys" and referenced Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.
At the time, the justices were presented with an oral argument asking whether doctors at abortion clinics in Louisiana would be able to have local hospital admitting privileges. Chief Justice Roberts is expected to be the swing vote in conservative-majority panel.
"I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price," Schumer said, amid cheers from the crowd. "You won't know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions."
"We will tell President Trump and Senate Republicans, who have stacked the court with right-wing ideologues," Schumer added. "That you will be gone in November, and you'll never be able to do this again."
The remarks immediately attracted scrutiny, prompting Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare statement.
"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. "All Members of the Court will continue to do their job, without fear or favor, from whatever quarter."
A week prior to Trump's criticism, the president lambasted two liberal justices and demanded them to recuse themselves from any of his ongoing legal trials.
"'Sotomayor accuses GOP appointed Justices of being biased in favor of Trump,'" Trump quoted Fox News host Laura Ingraham in a tweet, referring to Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Ingraham was commenting on Sotomayor's dissent to a recent ruling about migrants and their residency status.
"This is a terrible thing to say," he added in his own remarks. "Trying to 'shame' some into voting her way? She never criticized Justice Ginsberg when she called me a 'faker'. Both should recuse themselves on all Trump, or Trump related, matters."
In 2016, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg described Trump as a "faker" and said she could not "imagine what the country would be — with Donald Trump as our president."
Ginsberg later apologized and called her comments "ill-advised."
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