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Senate Dems to Pence: Attending Barrett confirmation vote would be "violation of common decency"

26 October 2020
Dan Ackermann

Members of Senate Democratic leadership asked Vice President Pence to stay away from Monday's confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett after five of Pence's aides were diagnosed with COVID-19.

Why it matters: Barrett's confirmation is not in doubt because Republicans have the votes to confirm her, so Pence's presence would be mostly symbolic — though he would cast a tie-breaking vote if necessary.

  • Pence has continued his campaign travel despite his possible exposure to the virus, which goes against CDC guidelines.
  • Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Sunday that Pence was putting others at risk by traveling.

What they're saying: "Not only would your presence in the Senate chamber tomorrow be a clear violation of [CDC] guidelines, it would also be a violation of common decency and courtesy."

  • "Your presence alone could be very dangerous to many people — not just senators, but to all the truly essential staff — both Democratic and Republican — who must be physically present inside the U.S. Capitol for it to function."
  • "Nothing about your presence in the Senate tomorrow can be considered essential. You will not need to cast the deciding vote to break a tie. Your presence tomorrow would be purely ceremonial."

The other side: "As vice president, I'm president of the Senate. And I'm going to be in the chair, because I wouldn't miss that vote for the world," Pence said on Saturday.

  • Aides to Pence said the vice president and his wife both tested negative on Sunday.
  • White House chief of staff Mark Meadows conceded to reporters that Pence's attendance was "in flux" on Monday morning.

Read the letter.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.