Female Republican senators blasted Democrats for their smear campaign against Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court and their double standards for women in politics in a Wednesday press conference.
"We know that the worst elements of the Left will come after Judge Amy Coney Barrett with everything they have," Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R., Ga.) told the Washington Free Beacon. "But as someone who has stood up to the radical Left’s cancel culture and won, my advice for a fellow strong woman is this: Keep going, keep pushing, keep fighting, and keep winning."
Senate Republicans have made it a priority to fight back in defense of their judicial nominee. Last week, Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) rolled out a Supreme Court war room to track and respond to liberal assaults on Barrett’s character, record, and fitness.
With Wednesday’s conference, Loeffler, Sen. Martha McSally (R., Ariz.), and others now see an opportunity to do their part in defending Barrett’s nomination, in large part by calling out the double standards of the left.
"We’re seeing [hypocrisy] from some in the media and on the left for [Barrett] being a mom," McSally told reporters. "You would normally have the feminists and the left lining up to defend her, and so we’re asking: Where are those voices?"
Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) hoped Barrett’s nomination would inspire young women going into politics, especially those who want to be mothers.
"Folks, this is what a mom can do," Ernst said. "I’m so thankful that other young women will see that now we have one extraordinary female Supreme Court justice in Ruth Bader Ginsburg being followed by another truly extraordinary female in Amy Coney Barrett."
The senators' remarks come in the wake of a series of attacks from both the media and prominent Democratic lawmakers over Barrett’s religious affiliations and the timing of Senate Republicans’ choice to nominate a justice for the open seat. Barrett belongs to the charismatic Catholic group People of Praise, which multiple media sources have painted as an organization oppressive toward women.
Democratic lawmakers such as Sen. Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) have also announced their intention not to meet with Barrett before her nomination hearing, a violation of Senate norms not seen even during the contentious confirmation process for Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Open hostility to Barrett and other Catholic judges is nothing new from the Democrats. In 2017, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) told Barrett—a mother of seven, including two adopted children—that her religious convictions could be a problem for her potential approval for federal court.
In 2018, Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) and Hirono smeared another Catholic judicial nominee for his affiliation with the Knights of Columbus, a charitable organization for Catholic men.