Schumer was speaking at an abortion rally on Wednesday when he said “I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price! You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”
In response to the threats, Chief Justice Roberts released a statement denouncing Schumer’s remarks.
Roberts wrote:
“[T]his morning, Senator Schumer spoke at a rally in front of the Supreme Court while a case was being argued inside. Senator Schumer referred to two Members of the Court by name and said he wanted to tell them that 'You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price. You will not know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.'Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous. All Members of the Court will continue to do their job, without fear or favor, from whatever quarter."
Schumer’s office responded by saying “[F]or Justice Roberts to follow the right wing’s deliberate misinterpretation of what Sen. Schumer said, while remaining silent when President Trump attacked Justices [Sonia] Sotomayor and [Ruth Bader] Ginsberg last week, shows Justice Roberts does not just call balls and strikes.”
Trump did not threaten Ginsburg and Sotomayor, he called on them to recuse themselves from certain cases because of their bias. He said “I just don’t know how they cannot recuse themselves to anything having to do with Trump or Trump-related."
Even far left commentator/ Harvard Law School professor Laurence Tribe wrote in response to Schumer’s comments “these remarks by @SenSchumer were inexcusable. Chief Justice Roberts was right to call him on his comments. I hope the Senator, whom I’ve long admired and consider a friend, apologizes and takes back his implicit threat. It’s beneath him and his office."
President Trump's response: