Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Thursday accused Senate Democrats of engaging in “bad-faith obstruction” that he said is contributing to a growing standoff involving President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence and efforts to renew key federal surveillance authorities.During a committee meeting Thursday morning, Grassley pointed to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) handling of judicial and U.S. attorney vacancies in New York as an example of what he described as an increasingly unsustainable use of the Senate’s blue slip tradition.“This isn’t sustainable. This isn’t good faith,” Grassley said, marking some of his strongest public expressions of skepticism yet over the tradition thanks to Democrats’ continued blockade on key Trump nominees. “Democrats expect Republicans to adhere to precedent and norms while undermining them at every turn.”
The blue slip tradition allows home-state senators to block or delay consideration of district court judges and U.S. attorney nominees. Trump has called on Republicans to end the practice to facilitate the confirmations of his judicial and Justice Department appointments.The chairman’s remarks come a day after Trump abruptly halted the confirmation process for Jay Clayton, his nominee to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Clayton had been scheduled to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday before Trump announced he would not move forward with the nomination until Jamie McDonald is confirmed as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.Jay Clayton, then-chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)
