GOP senator blocking Trump nominee until he gets answers from DOJ

thehill.com ^ | 6/15/17 | Jordain Carney

[ColdOne]

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is warning that he will block a Department of Justice nominee until the department responds to his oversight requests.

Grassley said during a Judiciary Committee business meeting on Thursday that the panel would not vote on Stephen Boyd's nomination to be assistant attorney general for legislative affairs because the Justice Department hasn't responded to more than a dozen letters.

"The department needs to improve its communications with the committee members and staff. It needs to be more serious about answering the mail and questions from Congress," Grassley said, explaining why the committee wasn't going to vote on Boyd's nomination even though it was on the meeting's agenda.

Grassley added that the Obama administration was a "little worse" about not responding to his letters, but "with a new administration, I want to do something about it. I hope that we will resolve these outstanding letter responses soon."

ADVERTISEMENT Grassley noted that at the time of Boyd's confirmation hearing he had 15 outstanding letters, with some responses due more than six months ago.

"Second, the department has refused — now, can you believe this — to make Mr. Boyd available for a conversation with the committee’s oversight and investigations staff," he said.

[usafa92]

Grassley is an idiot. Sad that he is actually one of Trump’s more supportive allies in the Senate.

[Red Badger]

with some responses due more than six months ago.

Trump wasn't in office then.................

[DOC44]

a nobody wanting attention and wanting to be important....LOOK AT ME EVERYBODY

[zerosix]

I’ve read some of Grassley’s letters demanding that the Department respond and though I think Grassley a weak sister, in this instance, I’m in complete agreement with him!

[Ray76]

This is BS ineffectual grandstanding.

Issue subpoenas

[hal ogen]

Grandstanding grassley. Why didn’t he do such grandstanding when the “perfect one” (Clown Dunce nobama) was in office? Just being a putz, I guess.

[bgill]

Trump wasn't in office then.................

IOW, he wants his face time. To heck with America. It's all about Grassley. Iowa and the rest of the country need to start making a stand against this worthless RINOS. Vote them out. Put an end to career politicians.

[RoseofTexas]

What they don’t get is HOW PISSED OFF THE BASE IS RIGHT NOW!!! They’ll be hell come 2018 and anyone else that’s t up for reelection!!!!

[be-baw]

Hard to form an opinion without knowing what specific requests were made to the DOJ. It sort of puts Sessions on the defensive though...

[Alberta's Child]

Trump posted a Twitter message last week criticizing the Senate for taking too long to confirm his nominees. The ranking Democrat on one of the committees reviewing the nominations gently reminded Trump that hardly any of his nominees even had their paperwork in order to the point where they could even be considered actual nominees.

[hal ogen]

Many, if not all, repubs are traitors to their electorate. What a swarm of smarmy losers...not “leaders”.

[DrDude]

Trump could use this to his advantage. who is responsible for not answering the mail from Congress. Fire them. It isn’t Sessions. I would guess McCabe would be one of them.

[rdcbn]

The requests for Docs Grassley is referring to are mostly Obama Era or related requests that Obama appointees and Obama holdovers have been stonewalling.

Grassley and Trump have been letting them dig their own graves by refusing to comply with Congressional oversight

[Freee-dame]

Grassley added that the Obama administration was a "little worse" about not responding to his letters, but "with a new administration, I want to do something about it.

NOW Grassley wants to do something about it? I hope that this quote is taken out of context.

[Nifster]

Geez. Not enough people to answer emails and letters so you hold up an employee who could

Wish these D.C. Yobs had been as virtuous dealing with obozo

[texteacher]

I just watched Tom Fitton’s newest JW video, within the video he is stating that the DOJ is still not giving FOIA requests to JW. He suggests the stall is due agencies not listening to Trump but doing business as usual (as under Obama).

[timestax]

[blak-meyl] Blackmail

Examples
Word Origin

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
noun
1.
any payment extorted by intimidation, as by threats of injurious revelations or accusations.
2.
the extortion of such payment:
He confessed rather than suffer the dishonor of blackmail.
3.
a tribute formerly exacted in the north of England and in Scotland by freebooting chiefs for protection from pillage.
verb (used with object)
4.
to extort money from (a person) by the use of threats.
5.
to force or coerce into a particular action, statement, etc.:
The strikers claimed they were blackmailed into signing the new contract.

[snarkytart]

Maybe we should all call and let him know?

These idiots have young staff that stay on social media where it’s a bunch of SJW and lefties that scream hate night and day against Trump. The GOP must think THAT is the country. Well we need to make our voices heard too.

[Dave W]

You want to do that because he asked some questions and would like to talk to the nominee to his face. Not unreasonable.