Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, to discuss the vacancy in the Supreme Court. McConnell is pushing for “the next president” -a Republican, he hopes-to pick Scalia’s replacement. Her opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders, continues a valiant battle, but we think it’s more likely that his ideas and causes will become absorbed (willingly, we think) into a post-primary Clinton campaign that will unite Democrats across the country.
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McConnell noted that it’s been 80 years since a Supreme Court vacancy has been filled in a presidential election year. Senate Republicans, including Grassley, up for reelection in November have already taken hits over the hard-line stance, and a few have broken with McConnell to suggest that the Senate should at least grant the forthcoming nominee a hearing and maybe a vote.
Reid said Obama made it clear during the meeting that he would be willing to consider candidates for the Supreme Court proposed by the Republicans, but McConnell and Grassley brought up no names. Senate GOP leadership has told the President they will not consider anyone he nominates.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Monday that Obama was committed to having a serious discussion with the lawmakers about his “constitutional responsibility” to appoint a successor to Scalia and how he would like to see the process play out.
MITCH MCCONNELL: This is going to be decided by the American people, and the next president, whoever that may be, will fill this vacancy.
Kelly’s office declined to comment to The Gazette. “It is the time to perform one of our most important constitutional duties and decide whether a nominee is qualified to serve on the nation’s highest court”.
Graham, a member of the Judiciary Committee, wouldn’t say who called him or what was discussed.
Obama vowed on Tuesday to name an “indisputably” qualified Supreme Court nominee and lashed out at Republicans who he said demanded a strict interpretation of the Constitution-except regarding his right to propose a new justice, according to CNN News.
Neither McConnell nor Grassley, who have said it makes sense to wait for the results of this year’s presidential election before moving forward on a nomination, came out and spoke with reporters after the session.
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Toomey and his Republican colleagues have doubled down on opposing Obama’s nominee even without knowing who the nominees will be. “But the power to grant – or withhold – consent to such nominees rests exclusively with the United States Senate”.
