Democrat Rep. Connolly on expanding Supreme Court: 'I'm focused on the hypocrisy of the Republicans'

Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly declined to share his view of expanding the number of justices on the Supreme Court, saying that he's instead "focused on the hypocrisy of the Republicans." 

"I believe Republicans ought not to be hypocrites and shoving a Supreme Court justice 21 days before the elections. That's the issue," Connolly said on Tuesday, the same day that President Trump's high court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, was going through her first round of questions in her Senate confirmation process.

When pressed on whether he would support an effort to expand the number of justices on the Supreme Court, known as "court packing," Connolly declined to discuss the issue.

"I think I just answered your question," he said at a Biden campaign event is northern Virginia. "I'm focused on the hypocrisy of the Republicans who promised, Lindsey Graham being number one, his own words, said they wouldn't do this. And now they're doing it because they can. That's wrong."

Increasing the number of justices would have to pass Congress and be signed into law by the president. 

Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which held the hearings, led by Graham, told Just the News on Monday that expanding the number of justices on the Supreme Court is an "ongoing debate in American jurisprudence." 

During the first presidential debate, Biden, the Democratic nominee, declined to say whether he would seek to expand the Supreme Court and nominate justices to fill the added seats.

On Tuesday, Biden told a local news outlet in Ohio that he's "not a fan of court packing." On Thursday night, during a televised TV town hall, Biden again suggested that he won't provide a more definitive answer until after the Nov. 3 election.