ICYMI Video: Trump Judicial Nominees Refuse to Answer Blumenthal's Question: Who Won the 2020 Election?

[WASHINGTON, DC] – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), yesterday pressed Sheria Clark, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina; Kathleen Lane, President Trump’s nominee to serve as U.S. District Judge for the District of Montana; Evan Rikhye, President Trump’s nominee to serve as Judge for the District Court of the Virgin Islands; and Kara Westercamp, President Trump’s nominee to serve as Judge of the United States Court of International Trade, about the results of the 2020 election and the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

In a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, the nominees repeatedly dodged Blumenthal’s question about who won the 2020 election, instead delivering slight variations of Westerkamp’s response: “Under our Constitution, the Electoral College votes for the President and then that is certified by Congress.”

After Westercamp refused to provide a straightforward answer, Blumenthal said, “I’m not asking you what the Constitution says. I’m asking you for your view, factually. And frankly, we’ve received this kind of canned, ridiculous answer before—as you know, because you were instructed to give this answer, right?”

After each nominee repeatedly dodged Blumenthal’s questions, Blumenthal concluded, “The answers here are obviously canned, pre-rehearsed, Orwellian in their denial of reality, and are a subversion of this process. They are an insult to this committee, but they also fundamentally show a complete lack of independence, backbone, and impartiality, which are the fundamental requirements of a United States District Court judge or a judge on any panel.”

A video of Blumenthal’s remarks is available here. The full transcript is available below.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): Thank you, Senator Kennedy. Welcome, everyone. Thank you for your service.

Ms. Westercamp, who won the 2020 election?

Ms. Kara Marie Westercamp: Under our Constitution, the Electoral College votes for the President and then that is certified by Congress. In 2020, President Biden was certified by the Electoral –

Sen. Blumenthal: That’s not my question, who won the election?

Ms. Westercamp: Under our Constitution –

Sen. Blumenthal: I know who was certified. And I know what you think of the certification, because you tweeted on January 6^th, in a post in reference to the 2020 election results, “A certified lie is still a lie.”

I’m asking you who won the 2020 election. Let me make it more specific. Who won the popular vote?

Ms. Westercamp: Under our Constitution, what matters is who the Electoral College votes as –

Sen. Blumenthal: I'm not asking you what the Constitution says. I'm asking you for your view, factually. And frankly, we’ve received this kind of canned, ridiculous answer before—as you know, because you were instructed to give this answer, right?

Ms. Westercamp: I am speaking to what is under our Constitution, and that is actually Article II, as well as –

Sen. Blumenthal: Let me ask you this, who won the 2024 election?

Ms. Westercamp: In the 2024 election, the Electoral College voted for President Trump and Congress also certified President Trump as the winner of the –

Sen. Blumenthal: Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election?

Ms. Westercamp: That goes back, again, to the methodologies set forth in Article II of the Constitution.

Sen. Blumenthal: Let's try another question, Ms. Westercamp. Was the United States Capitol attacked on January 6^th, 2021?

Ms. Westercamp: I condemn all the violence that occurred on January 6^th.

Sen. Blumenthal: Okay, we are not going to get an answer from you. Let me try Ms. Clarke. Ms. Clarke, who won the 2020 election?

Ms. Sheria Akins Clarke: Under our constitution, the mechanism for electing a president –

Sen. Blumenthal: I am just amazed by the insult to this committee of witness after witness seeking to be a federal judge subverting our Constitution and showing you have no independence, which is essential to a federal judge.

Ms. Lane, who won the 2020 election?

Ms. Kathleen S. Lane: The Constitution outlines the process, and as a judicial nominee, I'm here to talk about what the Constitution requires, which is an electoral vote and certification by Congress, and in 2020 –

Sen. Blumenthal: Who won the election?

Ms. Lane: President Biden was –

Sen. Blumenthal: Mr. Rikhye, who won the 2020 election?

Mr. Evan Rikhye: As my colleagues have stated, the process we have under the Constitution is a vote by the Electoral College followed by certification.

Sen. Blumenthal: Was the Capitol attacked on January 6^th?

Mr. Rikhye: There was violence that occurred here on January 6^th.

Sen. Blumenthal: Was the Capitol attacked?

Mr. Rikhye: Violence occurred here on that day.

Sen. Blumenthal: You have seen videos of what happened.

Mr. Rikhye: Yes, I have.

Sen. Blumenthal: Was the Capitol attacked?

Mr. Rikhye: Again, I said –

Sen. Blumenthal: Ms. Lane, was the Capitol attacked?

Ms. Lane: The characterization of January 6^th is subject to ongoing controversy and debate and as a nominee it would be inappropriate for me to characterize it.

Sen. Blumenthal: Ms. Clarke, who won the 2024 election?

Ms. Clarke: Under the process set up by the Constitution, the Electoral College elects the President –

Sen. Blumenthal: The answers here are obviously canned, pre-rehearsed, Orwellian in their denial of reality, and are a subversion of this process. They are an insult to this committee, but they also fundamentally show a complete lack of independence, backbone, and impartiality, which are the fundamental requirements of a United States District Court judge or a judge on any panel. Ms. Westercamp, I’m a little bit disappointed that you are not more original—that you can’t think of a few different words. I’m just amazed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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