Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the Senate’s president pro tempore and chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, said he was “offended” and “disappointed” by the tirade President Trump unleashed against him on social media over the obscure Senate tradition of respecting blue-slip objections to nominees tapped to serve as district court judges and U.S. attorneys.
“Last night I was surprised to see President Trump on Truth Social go after me and Senate Republicans over what we call the blue slip,” Grassley said in a statement to open a Judiciary Committee hearing on nominations.
“I was offended by what the president said, and I’m disappointed it would result in personal insults,” he said.
Trump reposted an item on Truth Social calling for term limits and to “dethrone the kings.” The post noted that Grassley has served in Congress for more than 50 years, while Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) has served in Congress for 44 years and former Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) has served for more than 40 years.
The president also reposted a Truth Social post that accused Grassley of being a “RINO,” short for “Republican in name only,” and “sneaky.”
Trump vented his frustration at Grassley over his decision to respect blue-slip objections from Democratic senators who oppose candidates nominated to serve as district court judges and U.S. attorneys in their states.
“Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the “Blue Slip” problem we are having with respect to the appointment of Highly Qualified Judges and U.S. Attorneys, with a mere flick of the pen,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“Democrats like Schumer, Warner, Kaine, Booker, Schiff, and others, SLEAZEBAGS ALL, have an ironclad stoppage of Great Republican Candidates,” Trump fumed, referring to objections to nominees from the Senate Democratic leader and Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Tim Kaine (D-V.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
Traditionally, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s chairs haven’t proceeded on federal district-level judicial and prosecutorial nominees unless both senators representing the state where those districts are located return blue-slip documents signing off on the nominees.
Other Republicans backed Grassley in pushing back against Trump’s criticism.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, said it would be a mistake to get rid of blue-slip objections from home-state senators to district court-level nominees.
“I do not agree with the president on that. I understand his frustration. President Biden had the same frustration,” Kennedy said of Trump’s anger over stalled nominees to key law-enforcement positions in Democratic states.
“It’s a cherished and very needed Senate tradition,” he said.
“Particularly for district court judges, senators are much better able to … pick a lawyer from their community that satisfies community standards,” Kennedy said, noting that Republicans also benefit from having oversight over judges and federal prosecutors in their states.
