WATCH: ‘We are failing as a body to lead in a time of crisis,’ Sen. Cory Booker says

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., called for a revival of “civic grace” in light of this week’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. He said that the appointment of Barrett by Trump just three weeks before the presidential election would lead to further erosion of the United States’ Democratic institutions, and urged his Republican colleagues to vote no on her confirmation. More broadly, he spoke about fears he heard from family and colleagues about the potential for violence on Election Day, and the duty of the Senate to lead in a time of crisis, amid a pandemic and protests over race in America. Booker said the grace displayed by former Republican lawmakers such as the late Sen. John McCain was a stark contrast to the behavior exhibited by President Donald Trump, and called on his colleagues to exhibit this in deciding on Barrett’s confirmation. “This is the moment that this nation needs from this body,” Booker said. “Actions of grace.”

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