Kelly Ayotte speaks during a news briefing after the weekly Senate Republican Policy Luncheon January 22, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Getty)
Kelly Ayotte is reportedly one of the candidates to replace FBI Director James Comey.
Politico reported this week that Ayotte, a former U.S. senator and New Hampshire attorney general, is in contention for the position. She’s another Republican politician whose name has been floated to replace Comey along with former Michigan Representative Mike Rogers.
If Trump did pick Kelly Ayotte, it would hardly be an example of the president appointing a lackey to the position, as Ayotte has long been a Trump critic. Here’s what you need to know about where Kelly Ayotte stands on the issues.
1. She Did Not Vote for Donald Trump for President
Kelly Ayotte on Election Day 2016. (Getty)
During the 2016 election, Kelly Ayotte did not endorse Donald Trump.
She didn’t endorse any of his opponents, either, simply saying in May 2016 that she would support the Republican nominee. However, in October 2016, when a tape was leaked on which Donald Trump bragged about grabbing women without their consent, Ayotte said she would not vote for Donald Trump and would instead write in Mike Pence for president.
“I wanted to be able to support my party’s nominee, chosen by the people, because I feel strongly that we need a change in direction for our country,” she said. “However, I’m a mom and an American first, and I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women.”
I will not vote for Donald Trump. Read my statement here:
During a 2016 debate, Ayotte had suggested that Donald Trump is a role model, but she ended up retracting those comments hours later.
“[I]t’s clear to me that neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton, unfortunately, are role models,” she later told CNN.
Ayotte spoke against Trump on several other occasions throughout the campaign. When Trump said that John McCain is not a war hero because he was captured, Ayotte said that the comments were offensive and that Trump should apologize. Trump never did apologize for those remarks.
Mr. Trump’s remarks are offensive & he should apologize not only to Sen McCain
Ayotte, who is pro-life, also spoke out against Trump’s comments that women should be punished for receiving abortions.
Women should not be punished, and I’m glad Mr. Trump has retracted his troubling comments
2. She Has Said That the U.S. Needs to Be Tougher on Russia
Sen. Kelly Ayotte holds up a Defense Intelligence Agency report about former Guantanamo detainees during a news conference with fellow senators at the U.S. Capitol March 10, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Getty)
Over the years, Kelly Ayotte has talked about the fact that the United States need to be even tougher in its stance on Russia.
In 2014, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Ayotte said that she thought President Barack Obama should take further action beyond just sanctions.
“I commend the President for the sanctions he has announced,” she said, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader. “But I believe there are additional steps we could take. I think it’s important that the President make a strong statement. We could go even further with the sanctions.”
Ayotte was also a critic of President Obama’s “reset” with Russia.
“The reset policy has failed. It’s time to turn this around,” she said, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader. “Putin has, time and time again, where we have accommodated him, he has pushed back and taken actions against us or our allies.”
3. She Blocked Merrick Garland’s Confirmation & Worked to Confirm Neil Gorsuch
Kelly Ayotte speaks at a news conference about military assistance to Israel at the U.S. Capitol September 20, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Getty)
In 2016, Kelly Ayotte worked to block the confirmation of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, feeling that this should be put off until after the election.
“My position is that we should allow the American people to weigh in,” Ayotte said in 2016, according to Politico. “And so I think we should see what the outcome and what direction the people of this country would like to take.”
Although Kelly Ayotte lost her re-election bid, she returned to Washington earlier this year to help Neil Gorsuch get confirmed to the Supreme Court.
“It’s been a tremendous honor to get to know Justice Gorsuch and to be part of his talented confirmation team,” Ayotte said in a statement when Gorsuch was confirmed to the Supreme Court. “He is a man of great integrity and intellect, and he will be an independent judge who is committed to equal justice under the law.”
Ayotte also said that she found it sad that Democrats would not support Neil Gorsuch.
4. She Has Voted Against Increased Background Checks for Gun Purchases
Kelly Ayotte speaks at a news conference July 25, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Getty)
While in Congress, Kelly Ayotte generally did not support efforts to increase background checks for gun purchases.
For instance, in 2013, she opposed a bill that would mandate background checks for all gun purchases. For that bill, however, she did offer an amendment that would allow for increased access to mental health records.
In 2016, Ayotte did not support Chris Murphy’s efforts to require background checks for gun purchases at gun shows and over the Internet. However, she did support ensuring that people on the no fly list can’t purchase weapons.
“This is a common sense, bipartisan proposal,” Ayotte said in a news conference last year on the topic of banning those from the no fly list from purchasing weapons. “No fly, no buy.”
5. She Was Considered One of the Most Bipartisan Members of Congress
Kelly Ayotte talks to reporters on November 10, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Getty)
Although Kelly Ayotte is a Republican, when she was in Congress, she was considered to be one of the most bipartisan elected officials. The Lugar Center named her the 12th most bipartisan member of the Senate; the number one most bipartisan member was Susan Collins.
Ayotte often worked with Democrats, and she occasionally broke with her party on the issues. For instance, she has said that climate change is impacted by human activities, and she was the first Congressional Republican to endorse Barack Obama’s plan for a 32 percent cut in carbon emissions. She also supported a non-binding amendment to say that climate change is real and human activity contributes to it.
In addition, Ayotte supports making birth control available over-the-counter without a prescription. Ayotte also supported the Gang of Eight immigration bill.