“There’s so much rancor in politics and partisanship that we allow ourselves to get drawn into different corners to the extent that some people actually want to use the funeral of a Supreme Court justice as some sort of political cudgel,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Thursday. | AP Photo White House defends Obama's decision to skip Scalia's funeral

The White House on Thursday defended President Barack Obama’s decision not to attend Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s funeral and accused critics of using the funeral as a “political cudgel.”

“There’s so much rancor in politics and partisanship that we allow ourselves to get drawn into different corners to the extent that some people actually want to use the funeral of a Supreme Court justice as some sort of political cudgel,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Thursday. “The president doesn’t think that that’s appropriate, and, in fact, what the president thinks is appropriate is respectfully paying tribute to high-profile patriotic American citizens, even when you don’t agree on all the issues. And that’s what he’s going to do.”


Earnest reiterated that while Obama won’t attend Scalia’s funeral, he and first lady Michelle Obama will pay their respects Friday as Scalia lies in repose. “Vice President [Joe] Biden, who is somebody that had his own personal relationship with Justice Scalia and his family, will be representing the administration at the funeral,” he reminded reporters.

“Given his personal relationship with the family and given the president’s desire to find a respectful way to pay tribute to Justice Scalia’s service to the country, we believe we have settled on an appropriate and respectful arrangement,” Earnest said.

Obama's decision to skip the funeral puzzled both allies and critics, especially because the president is facing a fierce fight with the Senate over the confirmation of Scalia's replacement. However, people close to the Scalia family said Obama was making the right choice and that the Friday ceremony at the Supreme Court was the better place for Obama to pay his respects.

An Obama administration official said on Thursday that Biden had established a rapport with Scalia and his wife, Maureen, but said the vice president isn’t expected to speak at the funeral.

“Justice Scalia and I had fundamental disagreements about how the Supreme Court interprets the Constitution, but we shared a belief that sharp debates, tough questions, and deep respect for the adversarial process was an essential part of our judicial system and our democracy,” Biden said in a statement. “For the country, Justice Scalia will be remembered as one of our most influential justices, who inspired and challenged generations of students, clerks, lawyers, and judges.”

Obama spoke at length about Scalia during a news conference Saturday — hours after Scalia was reported to have died at a luxury hunting lodge in Texas — and again on Tuesday. He said the conservative justice would be remembered as one of the “most consequential judges and thinkers to serve.”

“I think all of that taken together reflects the kind of approach that I think that most Americans are looking for from their leaders in Washington, D.C.,” Earnest said.

