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Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court Confirmation Will Move Forward, McConnell Says

By Krishnadev Calamur

Published October 2, 2020 at 4:25 PM EDT

Judge Amy Coney Barrett tested negative for the coronavirus. [Greg Nash / AP] — Judge Amy Coney Barrett tested negative for the coronavirus.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett has tested negative for the coronavirus, a White House spokesman said Friday, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he planned to move forward with her confirmation process, which is set to begin Oct. 12.

President Trump, who announced overnight that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus, introduced Barrett as his nominee last Saturday to fill the Supreme Court seat made vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She has spent the past week meeting with senators on Capitol Hill ahead of her confirmation hearings.

In a statement, White House spokesman Judd Deere said Barrett is tested daily for the coronavirus, and was last with the president on the day she was nominated.

"She is following CDC guidance and best practices, including social distancing, wearing face coverings, and frequently washes hands," he said.

McConnell, who was interviewed on Hugh Hewitt's radio program, said the Senate Judiciary Committee will take additional precautions as it moves forward with the confirmation process for Barrett.

"The plan is for the nomination to come out of the committee on October the 22 as Chairman Lindsay Graham has indicated, and we will be voting on the nominee very soon," McConnell said. "I haven't picked an exact point to bring the nomination up. But it is front and center for the American people. As we move ahead I will be more specific on the precise time on the senate floor."

Trump and other Republicans have said they want Barrett to be confirmed before the Nov. 3 election in the event the race possibly ends up at the Supreme Court, which, in Ginsburg's absence, now has eight justices.

Democrats have balked at that idea — though they have little power to stop it. They point to McConnell denying President Obama's nominee to the court, Merrick Garland, a hearing. Republicans argue they were justified in their inaction because Obama was a Democrat while the Senate was GOP-controlled. This time, they say, both the White House and the Senate are held by Republicans.