WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump is deflecting a question on whether he should wait until after the midterm elections to announce a successor to retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Trump says in the Oval Office that he hasn’t “really thought about that. I think you want to go as quickly as possible.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked President Barack Obama from filling the vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalia’s 2016 death.

McConnell refused to act on Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland, and the seat was left open until after the 2016 presidential election, allowing Trump to nominate Justice Neil Gorsuch.

 

McConnell says his chamber will vote this fall on President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement Wednesday.

Says the Kentucky Republican, “It’s imperative that the president’s nominee be considered fairly and not subjected to personal attacks.”

McConnell added that he looks forward to another “outstanding selection” from Trump.

Kennedy has long been a key swing vote, so Trump’s selection could tilt the court in a more conservative direction for years to come.

The Senate confirmed Trump’s first selection to the high court, Neil Gorsuch, in April 2017.

President Donald Trump took a moment to explain the significance of a Supreme Court vacancy Wednesday to Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

Trump began a meeting with de Sousa in the Oval Office reacting to the breaking news that Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy was retiring, giving Trump a golden chance to cement conservative control of the high court.

Trump stopped at one point to explain to de Sousa that, “In our country, the election of a justice of the United States Supreme Court is considered, I think we can all say, one of the most important events.”

He added that, “Some people think outside of obviously war and peace it’s the most important thing that you can have.”

De Sousa said he understood the significance because of his background as a constitutional lawyer.