Cruz: Senate’s Job Is ‘Advise and Consent’; We’re ‘Advising’ Don’t Nominate Anyone

TODD: "I want to go back to the United States Senate here. So you believe the presidency is only three years long in each term? I mean, if we go down this road, we're cutting off a presidency with a year to go. And more importantly, Senator Cruz, the risk here for conservatives is that if you have all these 4-4 ties in the court, then the more liberal leaning circuits will then have, you know, their rulings will take precedent."
CRUZ: " Look, the consequence of a 4-4 tie is that the judgment of the Court of Appeals is affirmed by an equally divided vote. This has happened many times in history that there have been vacancies, sometimes on a closely contentious case they'll hold over for the next term when the replacement justice arrives. In an election year we have a long tradition that a lame duck president doesn't get to jam a Supreme Court nominee through in the very end. LBJ tried that and the Supreme Court rejected it. And particularly when the Court is 5-4 is balanced, an Obama liberal nominee would dramatically shift the U.S. Supreme Court."
TODD: "But why not go through the process? Should the United States Senate do its duty and go through the process, reject it, senator, but go through the process?"
CRUZ: "By the way, the Senate's duty is to advise and consent. You know what? The Senate is advising right now, we are advising that a lame-duck president in an election year is not going to be able to tip the balance of the Supreme Court. That we're going to have an election, and if liberals are so confident that the American people want unlimited abortion on demand, want religious liberty torn down, want the Second Amendment taken away, want veterans memorials torn down, want the crosses and stars of David sandblasted off of the tombstones of our fallen veterans, then go and make the case to the people. I don't think the American people want that. I'm very happy to take that case directly to Hillary Clinton, directly to Bernie Sanders. And I would note, look, how do we know Donald Trump's record on this is going to be bad? He has supported liberals for four decades, Jimmy Carter, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, anyone who cares about judges would not be supporting Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer and John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. And the consequence is if either Hillary or Bernie or Donald Trump is the president, we will see the Second Amendment written out of the Constitution. This is the basic question to defend our liberties."