In an interview Wednesday on Talk 99.5’s “Matt & Aunie Show,” Congressman Gary Palmer (AL-6) discussed Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation process and the true motives behind the Democrats opposing the Supreme Court nominee.
Palmer said he only caught some of Kavanaugh’s opening statement last Thursday, but something in particular “really resonated” with him.
“[Kavanaugh] said, ‘This could be your father, your brother, it could be your husband, it could be your son.’ And I think that really resonates with a lot of people,” Palmer outlined.
“[T]he people attacking Judge Kavanaugh, I don’t think they want the truth. I think it’s become very transparent that this is about obstruction,” he added.
Ultimately, in Palmer’s view, Democrats – Senator Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) included – are opposing President Donald Trump’s nominee over the issue of abortion and would have done so no matter who the individual nominee was.
“It’s all about abortion – this is the last line in the sand for them,” Palmer explained. “They’re going to do whatever they can to try and prevent Judge Kavanaugh from being confirmed. And if it wasn’t Judge Kavanaugh, it would’ve been somebody else that they would have come up with [something against].”
While host Matt Murphy emphasized that Jones was probably a firm “no” vote from the beginning and does not care what the majority of his constituents believe, Palmer advised Alabamians to still make their voices heard loud and clear.
“I think if people have an opinion, they need to express their opinion to Senator Jones. Whether it’s a waste of time or not is irrelevant. You need to communicate with the people that represent you … call the senator’s office. But we knew who he was when he ran,” Palmer said.
The central Alabama congressman reminded listeners that when the Senate voted on prohibiting late-term abortions in cases when the unborn child can feel pain, Jones voted “no.”
“We know where he is on those issues, so no one should be surprised,” Palmer remarked.
Regarding the allegations against Kavanaugh, Palmer said he is worried that the Democrats are not only trying to smear a man and wreak havoc on his family, but also destroy institutions and principles that are vital to America’s democracy.
“[O]ur whole justice system is predicated on the idea that you’re innocent until proven guilty. It’s predicated on the idea that you will get due process … I think all of that is in jeopardy now,” Palmer advised.
He continued, “Even beyond that, our ability to continue this experiment in limited government is in jeopardy.”
Palmer also has first-hand experience when it comes to FBI background checks, saying that Democrats are using the tactic as another delay mechanism.
“[T]his whole thing about an additional FBI probe, I’ve been through a background check with the FBI. When I worked for an international engineering company, I was cleared for a national security clearance for the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy. And the very idea that they need another probe is ridiculous,” Palmer detailed, alluding to the fact that Kavanaugh has been through six different FBI background reviews during his career.
“The left, what they’re doing is they’re counting on the fact that most Americans don’t know how thorough a background check is. I guarantee you that they went back and interviewed people all the way back to his elementary school teacher. They talked to my fourth-grade teacher. They went to a grocer in Hodges, Alabama, and asked, checking me out,” Palmer continued.
He then added, “I am confident that if there was anything in Judge Kavanaugh’s background that would disqualify him from being a justice on the Supreme Court, that would have been in his file already.”
Palmer said Kavanaugh’s confirmation is worse than Clarence Thomas’ process, calling it “off the charts.”
“And I actually worked on the Clarence Thomas confirmation. That was the first official thing that I did in terms of working in Washington. I worked directly with the White House on it,” he shared.
A major difference back then was the lack of social media, and according to Palmer, “a fairer national media at that time.”
“They think that the average American is really dumb, they think they can run this stuff on CNN and MSNBC and that people believe it – they put it in the New York Times and that people believe it. But the average American is much more sophisticated and much better informed than [Democrats] give them credit for. That’s why Trump won the election in 2016,” Palmer emphasized.
Listen to the interview below:
https://audioboom.com/posts/7031326-10-03-matt-aunie-hour-2-gary-palmer-in-studio
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.