Posted on 09/18/2017 5:37:00 PM PDT by jazusamo
In the ongoing dispute between the state's two U.S. senators and the Trump administration, the White House counsel accuses the lawmakers of failing to consider the administration's pick for a judicial vacancy on a federal appellate court.
The White House last week nominated Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Bounds, a young, politically conservative federal prosecutor, for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, want U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez, a Republican, for the vacancy.
Wyden and Merkley have vowed to block Bounds' nomination, saying that he wasn't vetted through their bipartisan judicial selection committee.
White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn II said the senators had plenty of time to raise any objections or suggest alternatives when the White House first raised Bounds as the leading candidate in May.
But they didn't, McGahn said in a letter to the senators on Sept 6 , a day before the White House announced Bounds' nomination. He complained about their lack of "active engagement'' to find a replacement for Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain, who assumed senior status last December.
"Judge O'Scannlain's seat has been vacant for nine months, and we have tried to work with your offices for at least four of them. In May, your staff informed us you would need four to six weeks to complete your process and send us a list of suggested candidates,'' McGahn wrote. "While we had hoped the monthlong August recess would have afforded an opportunity for you to meet with Mr. Bounds in Oregon, that did not happen.''
The White House, instead, received a phone call from Wyden's staff asking the president to consider Hernandez for the vacancy, McGahn said. The counsel's office interviewed Hernandez at the White House and Hernandez also talked to legal policy staff at the U.S. Justice Department, McGahn noted.
The White House counsel later informed the senators that though his office enjoyed meeting with Hernandez, the administration was prepared to nominate Bounds.
McGahn in the Sept. 6 letter said he expected Oregon senators to continue returning their so-called blue slips to the Senate Judiciary Committee to fill 144 federal judicial vacancies. Since the early 20thcentury, it's been a long but informal Senate practice for the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee—the committee responsible for evaluating judicial nominees before they are sent to the full Senate—to send letters on blue paper, now known as blue slips, to senators from a nominee's home state asking them to approve or object to the nomination.
Wyden and Merkley have said they won't return the blue slip on behalf of Bounds to the Senate Judiciary Committee for nomination.
"We have a long history of organizing a committee charged with thoroughly vetting applicants from the Oregon legal community,'' the two senators wrote to McGahn on Sept. 7. "Unfortunately it is now apparent that you never intended to allow our longstanding process to play out.''
WH counsel says not true and it looks like the two senators want a RINO nominated.
Remind me how many lower court appointments ObaMao sought Republican advice on . . .
Vetting? like if he is not a trans with AiDS?
Why didn’t the republicans do this all throughout the Obama administration?!
Where is Harry Reid decrying the obstructionism now?
Why isn’t McConnell spewing Reid’s words back at the democrat party .
Why doesn’t the GOP act like it has a pair?!
Wheres get along McCain attacking the Democrats for destroying the decorum of the Senate?!
The continued Democrat destruction of our Republic.
Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, want U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez, a Republican,
A Cheap Labor Express Republican, no doubt.
Because most of them are undocumented Democrats in R jerseys.
Amen.
This nomination of Ryan Bounds is where McConnell and Grassley have the chance shove this crud down the Democrats throats, I believe Grassley is ready to.
We’ll see about McConnell.
McCain probably supports them.
Because their are flaccid quilslings and cucks?
Strange fact:
The term “vetted” comes from horse racing.
“Has the horse been sent to a veterinarian for examination?”
“No, he has not been vetted.”
Flake will probably support the ‘RAT obstruction also IF NEEDED. If Flake is not needed to obstruct, he won’t and will pretend to have wanted him.
That’s how their game is played.
“...This nomination of Ryan Bounds is where McConnell and Grassley have the chance shove this crud down the Democrats throats, I believe Grassley is ready to.
We’ll see about McConnell.”
******************************************************************
Let’s see how “quick” the RINO leadership is to show their loyalty to Trump and the Republican base! I fear the worse but will love to be pleasantly surprised. Anyhow, Trump should NOT GIVE AN INCH on this and other conservative judicial nominees.
Bump!
For the vote. Trump needs to call on McConnell to get the senate in order, vote his nominees or step aside.
Note to Trump:
1. Pull Assistant DA Bounds nomination for now. 2. Reassign him to an Assistant DA position in Arizona but meanwhile nominate no one else. 3. Then once he moves and takes his mew position nominate him again for the same federal judge position, from Arizona. I have a feeling neither Flake nor McCain will blue slip him. They have enough GOP strikes against them already.
I get this image of a guy standing on the sidelines of the field of play. He’s shifting his weight from foot to foot...watching for that magic opportunity to leap into the fray.
Shifting his weight from foot to foot, back n forth, back n forth, shifting, gauging opportunity, maybe...oh - not yet, shifting...
Any moment now...
Drop a Tweet to Grassley, asking him to ignore the Blue Slip "tradition". It might not help but it sure as L won't hurt for him to know the public is behind him on this.
He's HERE
It's not in the Constitution and it's way past time to flush this archaic "collegial" Senate tradition down the toilet.
What will McConnell do?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.