Sen. Harris: Judge Barrett Nomination Hearing 'Illegitimate'

Democrat vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Monday criticized the Senate Judiciary Committee for "jamming" through President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee in what she referred to as an "illegitimate" process.

"More than nine million Americans have already cast ballots and millions more will vote while this illegitimate committee process is underway," Sen. Harris said during the first day of confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

"A clear majority of Americans want whomever wins this election to fill this seat. And my Republican colleagues know that yet they are deliberately defying the American the will of the people in their attempt to roll back the rights and protections provided under the Affordable Care Act."

Harris, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who participated in the hearings remotely, also suggested Republicans were rushing the process in an effort to get a justice onto the court in time to ensure they can strip away the protections of the Affordable Care Act.

"If they succeed, this will result in millions of people losing access to healthcare at the worst possible time, in the middle of a pandemic," she said. "If they succeed, they will eliminate protections for 135 million Americans with preexisting conditions like diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and cancer."

SCOTUS will hear the latest challenge to the ACA on Nov. 10, seven days after the presidential election.

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