Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley said this morning that he was “offended” by a post Trump shared on Truth Social that called on the Iowa Republican to allow the president to nominate district or circuit court judges in states even if the senators from those states object.
“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 at the beginning of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on nominations this morning, “I was offended by what the president said, and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insults.”
The blue slip is a tradition in the Senate Judiciary Committee where, when the president nominates someone for the circuit or district court, a blue-colored slip is sent to the two senators from the respective state.
If the senators from that state have no issue with the nominee, they return the blue slip and the nomination moves forward through the normal process, but if a senator from that state opposes the nomination, they do not return the blue slip, and the nominee is effectively blocked, before even getting a hearing.
Grassley has said he will continue this tradition despite pleas from Trump, who says he wants to nominate partisan conservative judges across the country, no matter if the state is considered Democratic- or Republican-leaning.
Trump said in his Truth Social post last night that Grassley could solve the problem “with a mere flick of the pen.”
“Democrats like Schumer, Warner, Kaine, Booker, Schiff, and others, SLEAZEBAGS ALL, have an ironclad stoppage of Great Republican Candidates,” wrote Trump, who after continuing to lash out at Democrats concluded the post with, “Chuck, I know you have the Courage to do this, DO IT!”