If elected president, he said he would consider nominating Garland
Republican presidential candidate John Kasich said that while he thinks President Barack Obama should not have nominated someone to fill the Supreme Court’s vacancy, Republicans in the Senate should still meet with the nominee.
“I never thought the president should send it because I knew nothing was going to happen,” Kasich said in a Face the Nation interview taped for Sunday’s broadcast. “Frankly, they probably ought to all sit down and meet with the guy.”
Obama nominated Merrick Garland on Wednesday to fill the vacancy left after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. The appointment was met with anticipated opposition from Republican leaders in the Senate, who have said they won’t hold confirmation hearings for Garland, arguing that the next president should be allowed to select the Supreme Court justice.
Read more: Clinton and Sanders Praise Merrick Garland’s Nomination to Supreme Court
In the Face the Nation interview, Kasich said the next president should be allowed to nominate someone because it would then be a unifying process. Asked if he would consider Garland if he’s elected president, Kasich said he’d think about it.
“He received, you know, overwhelming support, I think even from Senator Hatch, so of course we’d think about it,” Kasich said, referring to Republican Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who praised Garland before the nomination.
“I want a conservative who’s not going to make the law but who will interpret the law and somebody of high standing,” Kasich said.