BURLINGTON, September 18 — Sen. Bernie Sanders issued the following statement on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

“The passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a tremendous loss to our country. She was an extraordinary champion of justice and equal rights, and will be remembered as one of the great justices in modern American history.

“Unfortunately, we’ve already heard tonight from Sen. McConnell that he has decided to go against Justice Ginsburg’s dying wishes and violate his own past statements in order to bring a judge nominated by President Trump to the floor of the United States Senate. 

“That’s in direct contradiction of his statement in 2016, when he said Supreme Court nominees should not be voted on during a presidential election year: ‘Our view is this: Give the people a voice in filling this vacancy,’ he said. McConnell is cementing a shameful legacy of  brazen hypocrisy.

“Thankfully not all Senate Republicans agree. 

“Just today, Sen. Lisa Murkowski came out against an appointment this close to an election. ‘I would not vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee,’ she said. ‘We are 50 some days away from an election.’ In addition, several of McConnell’s other colleagues have previously stated they’re against confirming a new justice this close to an election. Sen. Chuck Grassley said in May, ‘You can’t have one rule for Democratic presidents and another rule for Republican presidents.’ Sen. Susan Collins said,  ‘I think that’s too close, I really do,’ when asked by The New York Times about appointing a justice in October. 

“But no one has been clearer than Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Lindsay Graham. He promised in 2018 that ‘if an opening comes in the last year of President Trump’s term, and the primary process has started, we’ll wait to the next election.’ 

“The right thing to do here is clear. The Republicans in the Senate know it, and many of them have stated it clearer than I could. We should let voters decide. Period.”