As they rally behind Trump's pick, GOP senators struggle to explain refusal to move on Obama's nominee

Sen. Cory Gardner was blunt in 2016 about why he thought a Supreme Court seat should stay vacant despite then-President Barack Obama's demand to fill it.

"The next election is too soon, and the stakes too high," Gardner, a Republican from Colorado, said in March of that year.
Asked on Wednesday about his 2016 comments, amid President Donald Trump's effort to fill a vacant Supreme Court seat less than two months before an election, Gardner didn't answer when approached by CNN.
"If you didn't see my statement, I'll send it to you," Gardner, battling to keep his seat for a second term, said as he got on a senators-only elevator.