Jim Clyburn rejects Lindsey Graham's criticism of Biden SCOTUS pick: 'I do not see Judge Brown Jackson as being radical at all'

• Lindsey Graham blasted Biden's Supreme Court pick on Friday, declaring "the radical Left has won."
• But Jim Clyburn, who was also a vocal advocate for Judge J. Michelle Childs, pushed back on that.

House Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn on Friday pushed back on GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham's criticism of President Joe Biden's nomination of DC federal appeals court judge Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court.

Graham declared earlier on Friday that "the radical Left has won" after Biden selected Jackson instead of South Carolina federal district judge, J. Michelle Childs, for a seat on the nation's high court.

"I do not see Judge Brown Jackson as being radical at all. I do not," Clyburn said during a press call in response to a question by Insider. "And evidently, [Graham] was among the three that voted for her confirmation to be on the DC Circuit. And so I think that she's deserving of a strong bipartisan vote and I hope she gets it."

In the lead-up to Biden's announcement, both Clyburn and Graham had each praised Childs, who hails from their home state of South Carolina, and pushed for her to replace the retiring Associate Justice Stephen Breyer. Breyer, 83, last month announced his plans to retire at the end of the court's current term this summer.

Biden ultimately chose Jackson, a decision that Clyburn celebrated on Friday.

"I commend President Biden for taking a sledgehammer to it. I congratulate Judge Jackson and offer my full support during the confirmation process and beyond," Clyburn said in a statement.

The South Carolina Democrat also commented on Childs, saying her "inclusion among the three that were interviewed continues her record of remarkable contributions to making this country's greatness accessible and affordable for all."

Graham, on the other hand, criticized Biden's choice, saying in a tweet that "it means the radical Left has won President Biden over yet again."

"The attacks by the Left on Judge Childs from South Carolina apparently worked," he added.

Another Republican senator who also publicly lauded Childs, Tim Scott of South Carolina, similarly expressed disappointment with Biden's pick.

"I am disappointed that President Biden missed the opportunity to nominate a highly-qualified judge who would have garnered widespread bipartisan support," Scott said of Childs in a statement on Friday.

—Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 2, 2022

Jackson currently sits on the powerful US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, and was confirmed to that position in June 2021. Graham was among three Republican senators, along with Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, to vote for her confirmation to that seat.

Jackson will soon face another round of confirmation hearings for her spot on the Supreme Court. It's unclear whether any Republicans will support her confirmation, but Democrats can advance her to the court with a simple-majority vote, as long as all 50 senators in the party are on board and Vice President Kamala Harris casts the tie-breaking vote.

Clyburn told reporters on Friday that he respectfully disagrees with Graham's assessment on Jackson, and said their differing backgrounds may play a role in their difference of opinion.

"Now, Senator Graham and I are friends. Senator Graham and I have a different background and different experiences, and we can see the same thing and interpret them differently because of those backgrounds and experiences," he said. "And that's got nothing to do with him being ... white and not being Black."

Clyburn also offered a conciliatory note towards Biden, explaining that he simply saw it as his role to advocate for someone from his state.

"I'm Black, and I'm a southerner. And I do everything I can to promote southerners and Black people who are deserving of attention for public office," he said. "I tell people all the time, when you play the game, you may not always win. But if you don't play the game, you will never win."

The South Carolina Democrat, who played a pivotal role in helping Biden snag the Democratic nomination by endorsing him ahead of the South Carolina Democratic primary in 2020, also told reporters that he hadn't spoken with Childs since Breyer announced his retirement.

"This seems to surprise a lot of people, but I never spoke with Judge Childs throughout this entire episode. Never," said Clyburn. "In fact, it's been months since I've even seen Judge Childs."

Clyburn also took credit for Childs being a Supreme Court contender in the first place.

"Let me just say this — how many of you had ever heard of Michelle Childs before the public advocacy took place?" he said. "It never would have happened had not Senators Scott, and Graham, and yours truly started to publicly advocate for her."