Schumer blasts McConnell for not discussing Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe: 'They're like the dog that caught the bus'

"I think the story today is an effort by someone on the inside to discredit the institution," McConnell told reporters.

• Schumer ripped into McConnell for not speaking about GOP efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade.
• "It is utterly amazing that Mitch McConnell did not want to say he supports repealing Roe v. Wade," he said.
• McConnell on Tuesday said his focus is on the leak out of the Supreme Court.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday ripped into Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell after the top Republican avoiding talking about his longtime push to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that granted women the constitutional right to an abortion nearly 50 years ago.

McConnell earlier on Tuesday criticized the release of a draft opinion from the Supreme Court — an unprecedented leak related to a major abortion rights case that's still pending. The top Republican focused his outrage on the nature of the leak, and avoided speaking on the substance of the draft opinion, which would overturn Roe.

"It is utterly amazing that Mitch McConnell did not want to say he supports repealing Roe v. Wade," Schumer said during a press conference. "All he did was talk about the leaks."

"Republicans are spending all their focus on the leak because they don't want to focus on Roe v. Wade. They know they're on the wrong side of history. They know they're on the wrong side of the American people. So they're ducking it and hiding behind this so-called leaks situation," the top Democrat added.

Politico on Monday evening published a bombshell report of a draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito. The draft calls Roe "egregiously wrong" and says that it must be "overruled," along with Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 1992 landmark decision that reaffirmed Roe and established that states cannot impose an "undue burden" on abortion rights. The Supreme Court in a statement on Tuesday morning confirmed the authenticity of the leaked draft, but stressed that it's not the final opinion. The decision on the case is expected by late June. 

During a Senate Republican press conference, McConnell urged reporters to "concentrate on what the news is today," placing his attention on "not a leaked draft, but the fact that the draft was leaked."

McConnell was a key figure in helping shape the Supreme Court's current 6-3 conservative majority under former President Donald Trump, pushing forward the nominations of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. In the abortion-rights case before the Supreme Court, McConnell has signed on to a brief that urges the justices to overturn Roe. 

The Kentucky Republican on Tuesday sidestepped a question about whether he takes credit if the Supreme Court overrules Roe. 

"I think the story today is an effort by someone on the inside to discredit the institution," McConnell told reporters. 

The comments echo several other Republicans' positions, which prioritize the nature of the leak rather than the possibility that the court may toss out abortion rights. Democrats, meanwhile, have excoriated Republicans for tiptoeing around the issue and revamped calls to codify Roe into law. 

"They spent a decade, two decades, trying to repeal Roe and now they won't own up to it. They're like the dog who caught the bus," Schumer said Tuesday, before urging voters to turn out in this year's upcoming midterm elections.

"They know they'll pay consequences in the 2022 elections. And their spin-masters are telling them to avoid the subject and they did. Incredible," he added.