GOP Senators Run, Hide To Avoid Questions Over Supreme Court Blockade https://t.co/7AUNmOLM4n

— Jonathan Singer (@jonathanhsinger) February 25, 2016

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said she had to “go vote,” even though she could have talked as she walked to an elevator down the hall. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) didn’t even let HuffPost get the full question out before saying, “I don’t do hallway interviews.” Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) said he had to “run to a meeting” and disappeared into an elevator. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) listened to the question and, with a blank look, said, “I’m not doing any interviews.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) — chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where majority support is needed to advance the nomination — attempted to shield himself from cameras by raising “a binder to cover his face” while exiting the Senate chamber on Wednesday. He opposes the prospect of even meeting Obama’s potential nominee, a hard-line stance Democrats hope to exploit during Grassley’s re-election fight later this year.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) dodged questions about a potential backlash toward Republicans for vowing to block Obama’s Supreme Court pick before the president has even named one.

“I’ll let Sen. Grassley talk about it,” Flake said.

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And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who drew the line in the sand on potential Obama nominees within hours of Scalia’s death, put an exclamation point on his party’s opposition. He skipped town on Thursday afternoon, even though the White House had attempted to arrange a meeting between the president, McConnell and Grassley that day.