Senator Mark Kirk Talks Gitmo, Gangs and Anti-Gay Legislation

Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., right, meets with Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, becoming the only Republican senator to meet the embattled nominee, Tuesday, March 29, 2016, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Kirk is perhaps the most endangered Senate Republican facing re-election in November and he’s one of just three Senate Republicans to say the Senate Judiciary Committee should hold hearings on Garland, over the insistence of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., who has ruled it out.
Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., right, meets with Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, becoming the only Republican senator to meet the embattled nominee, Tuesday, March 29, 2016, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Kirk is perhaps the most endangered Senate Republican facing re-election in November and he's one of just three Senate Republicans to say the Senate Judiciary Committee should hold hearings on Garland, over the insistence of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., who has ruled it out. J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., right, meets with Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, becoming the only Republican senator to meet the embattled nominee, Tuesday, March 29, 2016, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Kirk is perhaps the most endangered Senate Republican facing re-election in November and he’s one of just three Senate Republicans to say the Senate Judiciary Committee should hold hearings on Garland, over the insistence of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., who has ruled it out.
Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., right, meets with Judge Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s choice to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, becoming the only Republican senator to meet the embattled nominee, Tuesday, March 29, 2016, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Kirk is perhaps the most endangered Senate Republican facing re-election in November and he's one of just three Senate Republicans to say the Senate Judiciary Committee should hold hearings on Garland, over the insistence of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., who has ruled it out. J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Senator Mark Kirk Talks Gitmo, Gangs and Anti-Gay Legislation

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It’s been about a month since President Obama nominated appellate judge Merrick Garland to replace Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court. Since then, 19 Republican senators have agreed to sit down with Garland for a so-called “courtesy meeting.” That’s despite GOP leadership saying the Senate won’t hold a confirmation hearing. 

Our junior Senator from Illinois — Mark Kirk — was the first Republican to meet with Garland. According to Kirk’s office, over the course of 25 minutes, the two men discussed everything from Guantanamo Bay to gang violence in Chicago to the Tenth Amendment. 

Tony Sarabia talks with Senator Mark Kirk about what came out of that meeting and other ways he’s stepping across the aisle as he gears up for a challenge from Democratic U.S. Representative Tammy Duckworth in November.