Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) said that "we're looking at the destruction of the Constitution of the United States" if President Donald Trump gets his pick to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.
Kennedy announced his retirement on Wednesday effective July 31, setting off a firestorm in Washington as the Senate braces for a rough-and-tumble confirmation battle.
"If Trump gets what he wants here, what's the Court going to look like for the next 30 years?" MSNBC host Chris Matthews asked Harris.
"We're looking at a destruction of the Consitution of the United States, as far as I can tell based on all the folks he's been appointing thus far for lifetime appointments," she said.
"He's been appointing ideologues, people who have refused to agree Brown v. Board of Education is settled law, people not even qualified by bar association," she continued.
Harris said the seat will be filled so Democrats should do everything possible to convince Trump to choose a consensus pick.
"We cannot relent, we're going to have to fight to the end to make sure that we can do anything and everything that is possible to require this president to choose a consensus pick. Talk to Democrats," she said.
That consensus pick, Harris said, should be someone that respects that "our system is supposed to be about equality for all and justice and fairness," and not about politics and political games.
Shortly after, Harris said her Democratic colleagues are all prepared to play "hardball."
Harris emphasized Kennedy's seat is more important to replace than Justice Antonin Scalia's was, because Kennedy was often a "swing vote" on critical issues.
"Anything less than a consensus pick is something we should fight tooth-and-nail against," she said.