GOP candidates criticize Donnelly over fellow Dem's remarks

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Two Republican Indiana congressmen seeking to unseat Sen. Joe Donnelly are criticizing his response to questioning by fellow Democrats of a federal appeals court nominee.

Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita say questions posed by Democrats were anti-Catholic and amounted to "bigotry."

Democrats grilled University of Notre Dame law professor Amy Coney Barrett during a committee hearing last week. They questioned whether her personal views as a Catholic would override her legal judgment on issues like abortion or the death penalty.

Donnelly, who is Catholic, has supported Barrett's nomination. But he concedes he would have "steered clear of lines of questioning that seemed to focus on Professor Barrett's faith."

Donnelly says he believes a judge can be a "person of faith and at the same time uphold the law."