Conservative ads use Ginsburg’s words to argue for replacing her quickly
A leading conservative political group is using Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s own words to contradict her dying wish in a new ad campaign.
The nonprofit 45Committee is set to launch a TV ad blitz Friday, the day the late Supreme Court justice is to lie in state in the Capitol, including a clip of Ginsburg saying in 2016 that then-President Barack Obama should be allowed to nominate a justice despite being in the last year of his term. The commercial, part of a vigorous Republican effort to confirm Ginsburg’s successor, is designed to undercut Ginsburg’s deathbed request that her seat not to be filled until the next president is installed.
“How do you respect Ruth Bader Ginsburg?” the ad asks. “Remember her wise words on Supreme Court nominees in an election year.”
The spot then cuts to Ginsburg saying, “The president is elected for four years, not three years.”
“So the power he has in year three continues into year four,” she adds.
The ad is part of a broader Republican TV campaign that will intensify after President Donald Trump unveils his nominee for the court on Saturday. Several conservative groups, including the Judicial Action Network and Club for Growth, have pledged to spend millions of dollars promoting Trump’s pick. Republican strategists estimate that they may invest up to $35 million.
Democrats have also announced plans to spend millions in opposition to the nominee. The air war is accelerating just ahead of next week’s presidential debate, where the Supreme Court is expected to be a topic of discussion.
The 45Committee’s super PAC arm, Future45, will also begin airing a commercial highlighting remarks Joe Biden made as vice president in 2016, imploring the Republican-controlled Senate to give an up-or-down vote to Obama Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.
Future45 was one of Trump’s biggest outside backers during the 2016 election. The group received the vast majority of his funding from Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam. Joe Ricketts, the founder of TD Ameritrade, was also a major giver to the group.
The two groups are poised to spend seven figures to air the commercials nationally, organizers say. The spots will run for at least a week.
Brian Baker, 45Committee’s president, said in a statement: “Liberal groups are slamming the Senate with disinformation over the Supreme Court. For this debate, the two most authoritative sources are Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Vice President Joe Biden, who both recently endorsed President Trump’s authority to nominate a Justice at this time and urged the U.S. Senate to consider his nominee.”
