Cabral: Schumer Did Not Threaten Supreme Court Judges

In this Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, file photo, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Senate Democrats are proposing a weekslong Senate impeachment trial seeking testimony from four new witnesses including John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney over President Donald Trump's actions toward Ukraine, according to a detailed outlined released Sunday, Dec. 15. Schumer proposed the structure for a “fair and honest’’ trial in a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Arjun Singh is a producer for Boston Public Radio. A California native, Arjun moved to Boston to study international relations at Boston University. Prior to working at WGBH, Arjun worked at a tech company and for a political campaign.

March 05, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court John Roberts rebuked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumore for comments he made about Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. The comments were made on Wednesday when Schumer addressed a pro-choice rally held outside the court.

“I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price,” Schumer said.

McConnell said that his comments constituted a threat to the justices. On Thursday, Andrea Cabral, the former Sheriff of Suffolk County and public safety secretary, said that Schumer’s comments did not amount to a threat. Rather, Cabral said, Schumer appeared to be expressing anger at a trend in Republican state legislatures to limit access to an abortion.

“Calling Gorsuch and Kavanaugh out by name made it easy for people who are opposed to what he was saying generally to hone in on that,” Cabral said. “He was by no stretch of the imagination threatening these judges personally.”

Cabral is the former Suffolk County Sheriff, a former secretary of public safety, and CEO of Ascend