CONCORD – Any attacks on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s religious faith will backfire and hurt Democratic efforts to unseat President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Monday during a conference call with New Hampshire GOP Senate nominee Corky Messner of Wolfeboro.
Some legal commentators said during Senate confirmation hearings that Barrett should be questioned about whether her legal views were shaped by her devout Catholic faith, which includes membership in a charismatic movement known as the People of Praise.
“I think faith is an important aspect to a lot of people’s’ character. From a purely political point of view going after someone’s Catholic faith is a big mistake for them,” Paul said.
As a philosophical libertarian, Paul said he supports the separation of church and state, but this should not prevent the religious from serving in government.
“I haven’t seen any indications that she favors any kind of religious test,” Paul said. “I think it is a really bad line of attack on them and it really has backfired.”
If confirmed, Barrett would become the sixth Catholic on the nine-member high court.
Messner said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, should “do her job” and defend Barrett against comments about her faith.
“Some Democrat senators are not even going to meet with Amy Coney Barrett and that’s horribly disrespectful,” said Messner, who founded a defense law firm in Denver, Colo., before permanently moving here in 2018.
A Shaheen campaign spokesman said Trump and Senate Republicans are determined to make this pick before the Nov. 3 election and this would lead to future Supreme Court decisions restricting abortions.
“Senator Shaheen believes attacks on anyone’s religious beliefs are unacceptable, and strengthened New Hampshire’s anti-discrimination protections as governor,” said Josh Marcus-Blank in a statement.
He added, “Messner is focused on ramming a Supreme Court nominee through the Senate during an election because he wants to overturn Roe vs. Wade, threaten health care access for vulnerable Granite Staters, and doesn’t care at all about passing another COVID relief package.”
Barrett has said it’s “very unlikely” the court would overturn Roe vs. Wade, which in 1973 made abortions legal at least until the fetus has reached viability.
Trump said over the weekend that it’s “certainly possible” the court could overturn Roe vs. Wade and allow states to outlaw abortions.
A Senate office spokesman said Shaheen would meet with Barrett if she requests an interview.
Sen. Paul said he thinks Trump’s choice has equally motivated the GOP’s conservative base for Barrett and the Democrats’ liberal base outraged by it.
Paul doesn’t believe that acting prior to the election could end up suppressing GOP turnout.
Polling in 2016 concluded Trump’s vow to fill a court vacancy with a social conservative played a major role in his defeat of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Paul said he’s been consistent about court vacancies, namely the party in control of the Senate decides if it will confirm or “withhold consent” of any nominee.
In 2016, the GOP-led Senate refused to grant a hearing to President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland.
After the election, Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the high court.
“From my point of view, my statements then and now are exactly the same. The majority in the Senate gets to advise and consent or withhold consent,” Paul said.
“Consent is going to be confirmed by the Republican majority.”
Paul said it’s not a “good sign” Trump’s three picks have been universally opposed by Democrats while many Senate Republicans voted for Obama’s two picks.
“It used to be the way it was you voted for someone if they had the mental acuity, the experience, the ability to have composure and people would vote for people they often didn’t agree with,” Paul said.
“It’s a sign of the times and not a good sign.”
Paul ran for president in 2016, dropping out before the first-in-the-nation primary here after he finished fifth in the Iowa caucus.
