Politics

FACT CHECK: Did Senator Rob Donaldson Give A Speech Opposing Amy Coney Barrett’s Nomination?

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A post shared on Facebook claims to show a lengthy speech from Sen. Rob Donaldson in opposition to Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination.

Verdict: False

There is no senator by that name currently serving. The speech was written by a Facebook user.

Fact Check:

The lengthy speech, purportedly delivered by the senator during a Senate Judiciary hearing, circulated on social media amid Barrett’s confirmation hearings for her nomination to the Supreme Court. Her nomination came after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in September from complications of cancer, according to NPR.

“This is a sad, sad fate for a woman as accomplished as you,” the senator allegedly concluded his speech. “I am profoundly sorry for you, and for our country as you take your illegitimate, corrupted, forever asterisked seat on the Supreme Court.”

There is no man by that name currently serving in the Senate. His name appears on neither the Senate Judiciary Committee’s roster nor the official list of current senators found on the Senate website.

The Daily Caller News Foundation traced the speech to an Oct. 16 Facebook post from user Rob Donaldson. He confirmed in a Facebook direct message to the DNCF that he created the message.

Donaldson appears to have created the message as a speech he “envisioned delivering if he were a senator,” according to Snopes. There is no evidence the speech was uttered by any sitting senator.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Oct. 22 to advance Barrett’s nomination. The final floor vote on her confirmation is expected to occur early this coming week, according to CBS News.