Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) fired back at President Donald Trump after he demanded that the Senate drop its “blue slip” tradition that gives Democrats a chance to weigh in on nominees who could serve in their state.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump criticized Grassley for refusing to abandon the decades-old bipartisan tradition.
“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,” the president wrote. “The only way to beat this Hoax is to appoint a Democrat or a weak and ineffective Republican.”
“Senator Grassley must step up, like Crooked Joe Biden did, when he openly broke, at least two times, the ‘Blue Slip’ SCAM, and like others have done over the years, and let our Great Republican Judges and U.S. Attorneys BE CONFIRMED. He should do this, IMMEDIATELY, and not let the Democrats laugh at him and the Republican Party for being weak and ineffective,” Trump added.
Grassley addressed Trump’s remarks on Wednesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
“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,” the Republican senator explained. “Now, the people in the real America, not here in this Washington, D.C., and islands surround by reality, the people in real America don’t care about what the blue slip is, but in fact it impacts in their states the district judges who serve their communities and the U.S. attorneys who ensure the law and order is enforced.”
“I was offended by what the President said, and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insults,” Grassley insisted.