Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) issued the following statement on the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court of the United States.

“I applaud President Bush's nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court of the United States. Judge Alito has extensive public service experience, an exemplary constitutional background, and was unanimously confirmed to a seat on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in 1990. Few Judges in America are as qualified to serve on the Supreme Court as Judge Alito.”

“Unfortunately, today’s Senate Democrats do not share the same spirit of cooperation seen in past Supreme Court nominations. Many liberal Senators and their special interest allies are already lining up to tarnish Judge Alito’s reputation. This nominee should receive a fair and timely confirmation vote, but if Senate liberals want to make a spectacle of themselves, then I urge them to show Americans just how far out of the mainstream they have drifted. Let them try to filibuster Judge Alito, and in the process, they will show America the true radical leftwing colors of today’s Democrat leadership.”