Ted Cruz said the "nuclear option" is an option if Democrats choose to run a filibuster against Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick. | Getty Cruz: Nuclear option on the table if Dems filibuster SCOTUS pick





Ted Cruz is taking an aggressive stance toward Senate Democrats who are threatening to block President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, issuing an explicit warning that Republicans could rewrite Senate rules if Democrats force their hand.

The Texas senator said in an interview that no matter what they try, Democrats will not be able to stop Trump's nominee — and said that the GOP should not shy away from changing the filibuster's 60-vote threshold on high court nominees if need be.


"The Democrats are not going to succeed in filibustering the Supreme Court nominee," Cruz said on Tuesday. "All procedural options are on the table. The bottom line is we will confirm a strong conservative to replace Justice Scalia."

Cruz has been particularly committed to the Supreme Court fight, floating an indefinite blockade if Hillary Clinton had won and using Trump's commitment to a conservative justice as his primary rationale for supporting a former rival. But his stance amounts to an escalation of a roiling conflict over the vacant seat.

Cruz has strongly resisted taking options off the table in the past, though some of his colleagues have been less explicit about changing the Senate rules as the nomination has neared.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been loathe to threaten a rules change, preferring instead to guarantee a confirmation rather than a change to the Senate rules. But he set a new precedent, Democrats say, by blocking Former President Barack Obama from filling the vacancy left by Scalia's death.

And even though some Senate Democrats are already committing to try and filibuster Trump's nominee, many Republicans say that a rules change conversation is premature.

"We need to have a Supreme Court justice and that's going to be our goal. I don't think tactics are what we're talking about now," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who is close to McConnell. "I just don't think we are there discussing it seriously yet."

Trump is expected to name his nominee later Tuesday.