At a
press conference on July 20 Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) lauded Judge Leslie
Southwick and called the attempts to stall and defeat his nomination to the 5th
Circuit Court of Appeals a "manufactured" controversy. Below is a video of Sen. McConnell's
statements followed by an excerpt from the transcript of his remarks.
“I know it won't surprise any of
you to know that we think that whatever controversy
there is about Judge Southwick is manufactured. I mean, it
doesn't exist. An extraordinarily accomplished individual with a
unanimous well-qualified from the American Bar Association. The
Democratic leadership of the Judiciary Committee has said that's the gold
standard.”
“…Southwick should move
forward. I haven't given up hope that he may. And he's
important.”
-Sen. Mitch McConnell, Press
Conference, July 20, 2007 (emphasis
ours)