Republicans should approve the nomination to the Supreme Court of Merrick Garland if it becomes clear that the Democrats are going to win the presidential elections, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake told NBC's
"Meet the Press."
In March, President Barack Obama nominated Garland to serve on the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by the death of Antonin Scalia. However, the Republican-controlled Senate has not held a hearing or vote on the nomination, arguing that since Scalia's death took place during an election campaign, his replacement should be a decision left to the next president.
Flake, who met with Merrick and said he is a man of both accomplishment and great intellect, said that Republicans are "more than justified in waiting, which follows both principle and precedent."
He went on to explain that "the principle is to have the most conservative, qualified jurist that we can have on the Supreme Court, not that the people should decide before the next election. But if we come to a point… where we're going to lose the election in November, then we ought to approve him quickly, because I'm certain he'll be more conservative than a Hillary Clinton nomination.
Flake said that he would not be able to support presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump for president unless he moderated some of his views.
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