“This dangerous rhetoric has dangerous consequences. Where’s the media outrage?” Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) asked Wednesday, posting video on Twitter of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) publicly threatening Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
In the video, Sen. Schumer tells Justices Kavanaugh and Gorsuch that they “will pay a terrible price” and “won’t know what hit you,” if they vote to uphold a Louisiana law requiring doctors to acquire hospital admitting privileges in order to perform abortions:
“They’re taking away fundamental rights. I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind! And you will pay the price! You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”
🚨 UNHINGED → Schumer threatened conservative justices Kavanaugh & Gorsuch on the steps of the Supreme Court:
— Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) March 4, 2020
"You have released the whirlwind & you will pay the price. You won't know what hit you."
Enough. This rhetoric has dangerous consequences. Where's the media outrage? pic.twitter.com/SiGNHxG0iX
In his tweet, Scalise calls on the media to condemn Schumer’s “dangerous” rhetoric:
“UNHINGED → Schumer threatened conservative justices Kavanaugh & Gorsuch on the steps of the Supreme Court: "You have released the whirlwind & you will pay the price. You won't know what hit you." Enough. This rhetoric has dangerous consequences. Where's the media outrage?”
Chief Justice John Roberts responded to Schumer's threats by issuing a statement saying that members of the court will not be intimidated.
Since Supreme Court justices are appointed for life and their salaries can’t be reduced, Sen. Schumer’s threat appears ominous, The Washington Examiner reports:
“So, what does he mean?
“Federal judges, justices included, are appointed for life. They don't face elections, so he's not talking about political consequences.
“They can't have their salaries reduced — it's in the Constitution. So he's not talking about financial consequences.
“Unfortunately, that leaves just a few possibilities, none of them savory. He's referring either to the release of damaging personal information about the justices (blackmail-slash-extortion) or else to physical violence against them as retribution.”