RUSH EXCERPT:
BURNETT: "Outfront now, independent senator Bernie Sanders. I understand the president made his choice. When you talk about the logistics of getting someone there, that’s what we understand. Senator, is there anyone this president could realistically pick that would be acceptable to you?"
SANDERS: "Well, there are many people he could realistically pick, people who respected the rights of workers, people who respected women’s rights, people who are concerned about the environment and climate change. People who believed in justice. If President Trump were to nominate someone who held those beliefs, of course I could support that person. Do I realistically think that that is going to be the nominee? No, I don’t. As you indicated, trump is working off a list of 25 right-wing legal people and that during the campaign he said pretty publicly that his nominee would be somebody to overturn roe versus wade. If that’s one of his nominees, I certainly will not support him or her."
BURNETT: "On the list of 25 that you’re not amenable to. I don’t know if you just heard our Jeff Zeleny, but he’s saying it could obviously be anyone on that list of 25, but we believe at this time he had whittled it down to judge Thomas Hardiman and Brett Kavanaugh. I want to ask you about Thomas Hardiman. He’s on the third circuit court of appeals. Part of the reason he’s there, you voted to confirm him —"
SANDERS: "Who else voted for him on that one. In fact, everybody voted for him, right?
BURNETT: "Democrats did. You’re now putting him as a conservative you couldn’t support, but obviously a decade ago you didn’t feel the same way."
SANDERS: "There is a difference between voting for somebody in a lower court and voting for somebody in the highest court of the land. There is a fundamental difference. If he is the nominee —"
BURNETT: "Which is what? The principles would matter in either case, right?"
SANDERS: "Well, the principle is that the Supreme Court makes the law of the land. And departments what happens in our country in virtually every area. So, yes, there is a fundamental difference. Look, what we are talking about here is in a moment in American history where we have right-wing extremists controlling the house, the Senate and the white House, if we appoint another right-wing extremist to the Supreme Court, I have very serious concerns about justice in this country and what will happen to the men, women and children and the future of our nation. So —"
BURNETT: "Just to be clear, would Thomas Hardiman be a right-wing extremist now as you define it?"
SANDERS: "Yes, if he is on a list of the 25 that were presented to the president, yes, he would be somebody that I would feel impossible to support."