Trump suggests Democrats manufactured Ginsburg's final wish

President Trump cast doubt Monday on the authenticity of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s “most fervent” final wish.

According to NPR, days before her death on Friday, Ginsburg dictated a statement to her granddaughter, Clara Spera, that read: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new President is installed.”

Asked about Ginsburg’s words during an interview on the Fox News program “Fox & Friends,” Trump suggested that they may have been written by his political foes: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Adam Schiff.

“I don’t know that she said that, or was that written out by Adam Schiff and Schumer and Pelosi. I would be more inclined to the second, OK? That came out of the wind,” Trump said. “It sounds so beautiful. But that sounds like a Schumer deal or maybe a Pelosi or shifty Schiff. So that came out of the wind. Let’s see. I mean, maybe she did and maybe she didn’t.”

On Sunday, Schumer held a press conference at which he featured Ginsburg’s reported quote and vowed that Democrats would do everything in their power to fight her replacement being named so close to the election.

Responding to the president’s comments, Schiff, who led the Democrats’ impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate, said the claim was false.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Sunday found that 62 percent of Americans believe that Ginsburg’s seat should be filled by whichever candidate for president wins the Nov. 3 election, compared with 23 percent who disagree.

Trump told “Fox & Friends” that he would announce his nominee to replace Ginsburg, whose body will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, either Friday or Saturday.

“It looks like we will have probably services on Thursday or Friday, as I understand it,” Trump said. “And I think the respect we should wait for the services to be over for Justice Ginsburg. So we’re looking at probably Friday or maybe Saturday.”

Cover thumbnail photo: Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

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