Fact check: No evidence Schumer called Judge Amy Coney Barrett 'wildly out of mainstream'

Ella Lee, USA TODAY
·5 min read

The claim: Sen. Chuck Schumer said Amy Coney Barrett is 'wildly out of the mainstream' because she’s Catholic and Christian

Judge Amy Coney Barrett has been selected as President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick, but her record and religious faith have led some to criticize her nomination. A meme posted on Facebook claims one of those critics is Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Says Judge Amy Coney Barrett is ‘wildly out of the mainstream’ and shouldn’t serve on the Supreme Court. Because she’s Catholic. Because she’s a Christian. Do you hear that, you 51 million US Catholics, you 205 million US Christians? The Democrats officially oppose Catholics and Christians. Vote accordingly,” the post reads.

The Facebook user who posted the meme told USA TODAY that she’s not the only conservative to back this claim.

“According to GOOGLE, there’s almost 70.5 Million Catholics in the US, so that’s over 20% of the population! How can that NOT be MAINSTREAM? By the way, CATHOLICISM is Christian!!” she said.

Fact check: 'Kingdom of God' comment by Amy Coney Barrett lacks context in meme

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington, D.C.
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington, D.C.

No evidence Schumer said that about Barrett

While Schumer has been critical of Barrett’s nomination, he never said she was “wildly out of the mainstream” — but he did say that about another judicial nominee.

In February, Schumer opposed the nomination of Andrew Brasher to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. He criticized both Brasher and Senate Republicans over the nominee’s lack of experience, as Brasher had spent just six months on a district court prior to his nomination. He also criticized Brasher’s record on voting rights, women’s reproductive rights, gun safety and marriage equality.

“The Senate majority is asking us to promote a candidate for a circuit court judgeship who has less than a year of experience as a judge,” Schumer said. “But he’s not just unqualified; maybe why they’re promoting him so quickly is because they love the fact that his views are so wildly out of the mainstream.”

Fact check: Sen. Chuck Schumer’s statements about Supreme Court vacancies, 2016 vs. 2020

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., speaks with reporters after the Senate approved a nearly $500 billion coronavirus aid bill, April 21, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of N.Y., speaks with reporters after the Senate approved a nearly $500 billion coronavirus aid bill, April 21, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

A report by Fox News might further blur the matter. During "Fox News at Night" on Sept. 22, the network ran a clip of Schumer criticizing Barrett at a press conference.

Following that, host Shannon Bream noted Democrats would "paint whomever the nominee is as somebody who is unfit, as wildly out of the mainstream."

Senior political analyst Brit Hume responded, picking up on that phrase: “You look at what Senator Schumer said – that’s just a wild exaggeration. Barrett isn’t someone wildly out of the mainstream.”

The FoxNews.com report on the show wrote that Hume was responding to Schumer calling Barrett “wildly out of the mainstream.” But, a transcript of the press conference shows Schumer didn't use the phrase.

Schumer has used the "mainstream" language before to describe the type of judicial nominee Senate Democrats would approve. He said in January 2017 that he was concerned the likelihood of a “mainstream nominee” was decreasing with “the hard right running the show.” When asked to define mainstream, he said, “You know it when you see it.”

Still, Schumer has criticized Barrett’s nomination and said he “strongly opposes” her as a choice for the Supreme Court.

Fact check: In early 1970s, RBG represented woman discharged from military because she wouldn't get an abortion

Most Democrats in Congress identify as Christian

The claim that Democrats oppose Christians and Catholics is baseless. Most Democrats in Congress — about 78%, according to Pew Research Center — identify as Christians.

Of the 232 House Democrats, 188 identify as Christian, and of the 45 Democrats in the Senate, 33 identify as Christian, according to Pew.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden identifies as Catholic. NPR reported that he carries a rosary in his pocket and attends Mass every Sunday.

“I’m a practicing Catholic,” Biden’s website reads. “I believe faith is a gift. And the first obligation we all have is, ‘Love your God,’ the second one is, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’… ‘Treat people with dignity.’ Everyone’s entitled to dignity; that’s a basic tenet in my household.”

Fact check: In 2016, Ginsburg said president is 'elected for four years not three years'

Our rating: False

We rate this claim FALSE, because it was not supported by our research. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer never said Judge Amy Coney Barrett is “wildly out of the mainstream,” though he did use that language to describe another Trump judicial nominee. The claim that "The Democrats officially oppose Catholics and Christians" is unfounded. Most Democrats in Congress identify as Christian, and the party's nominee for president is a practicing Catholic.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here, for more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Chuck Schumer misquoted on Judge Amy Coney Barrett

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories