Democrats' opening statements during Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearing Monday showed their intent to expand the size of the highest court in the land, Senate Judiciary Committee member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

"Today's histrionics were all about setting the predicate to pack the court," Cruz told host Tucker Carlson. "There's a reason Joe Biden, Kamala Harris refuse to answer that question, because their answer is yes, they intend to pack the court. They intend it as a partisan power grab. 

"They know that that's not popular with the voters so they're trying to hide it and part of the way they're trying to hide it is to claim everything else is illegitimate and they're trying also to redefine what packing the court means," Cruz added. "So they're saying nominating judges when there are vacancies and confirming them, suddenly that's packing the court.

Cruz then recalled that President Franklin Roosevelt was stymied by his own party from increasing the number of Supreme Court justices to 15 in 1937.

"His own party resisted. His own party refused to do it. The Democrats had control of Congress. They said it would destroy the independence of the judiciary, it would destroy the Supreme Court, it would make it just another political body, so they said no.

"Now, today's Democrats  are much more radical than the Democrats used to be."

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Cruz went on to suggest that if Democrats take the Senate this fall, they will likely try to build on their majority by ending the legislative filibuster admitting the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to the Union.

"I think every Senate Democrat is in on the joke," he said. "They know that."