WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior Republican on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee said on Thursday that President Barack Obama was looking for someone who was "very moderate" to be his nominee to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.
"He said he was going to try to find a justice who would be very moderate," Senator Orrin Hatch told Fox News Channel.
But Hatch said even if Obama were to put forward a Republican for the empty seat, the Senate should not consider it during "the throes of a very intense, and some people think horrific, presidential campaign."
Separately, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters she thought it would be a good idea for Obama to consider nominating a Republican.