Sen. Ernst to Newsmax: 'Abhorrent' That SCOTUS Draft Ruling Was Leaked

Pro-life advocates have been waiting anxiously to hear the news that the Supreme Court was going to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision on abortion, but it is "absolutely abhorrent" that someone leaked a copy of the court's draft ruling, Sen. Joni Ernst said on Newsmax on Tuesday. 

"Whoever has done this has thrown our Supreme Court under the bus, but it's news that we will anticipate," the Iowa Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "I still believe the Supreme Court needs to go through its proper processes. This was just a draft opinion."

Ernst, who said she is adamantly pro-life, said that even if the court overturns the 1973 decision, it will not strike down abortion completely.

"It allows those state legislators to make those decisions for their own constituents and their own states," she said. "We need a final opinion coming from the Supreme Court, and again, the leak, it is absolutely horrible that this has happened to such a stalwart institution in our government."

The leak to Politico occurred on the eve of major primary elections in Ohio and Indiana, and Ernst called it "very detrimental."

"The Supreme Court is to move and make decisions free of public opinion, and unfortunately, what this has done is poison the well," she said. "Now you will have justices that are targeted by the public [and] by elected officials. It will be very difficult for them to move and think independently … I hope they can discover who did this and be brought out and held accountable for those actions. Unfortunately, those justices will now be operating under a lot of scrutiny."

Ernst said she doesn't know if the Supreme Court or Chief Justice John Roberts will issue a statement about the leak. 

"If they do come forward, that's fine, but again, we want them to operate independently," said Ernst. "I hope that they are able to regroup, reform, and continue working through the process as proper instead of being scrutinized and yelled down by the public."

Ernst also spoke out on the news that the Department of Homeland Security has formed a Disinformation Governance Board, headed by disinformation expert Nina Jankowicz, and called the decision an example of "George Orwellian dystopia," echoing other opponents to the new government organization while comparing it to Orwell's novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four." 

"I thought I was in the United States of America, not Russia or China, and here we are with this," said Ernst. "This 'disinformation board' was created by our federal government to ratchet down on free speech. I just can't even believe that this is happening in the United States of America.

"Certainly, I am going to continue to speak out as I want to speak out and write what I want to write. And I am not going to allow some sort of federal government board to tell me what I can and cannot say."

Ernst added that she will work with Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., to defund the board and to make sure it does not have the resources to operate. 

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