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Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley told Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland to his face Tuesday that the Senate won’t consider his nomination. Over breakfast, the Iowa Republican “explained why the Senate won’t be moving forward during this hyper-partisan election year,” his office said. The statement added that Mr. Grassley “thanked Judge Garland for his service,” and that their 70-minute meeting in the Senate dining room was “cordial and pleasant.” Both men arrived early for the meeting and avoided journalists later. Mr. Grassley and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are blocking Judge Garland’s nomination, saying voters should have a role in...

Hillary Clinton on Monday called on Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa to "step up and do his job," just hours after he warned the former secretary of state that law enforcement was coming for her. "He should hold a hearing, and he should schedule it as soon as the Senate returns from recess," Clinton said . . . Grassley brushed off Clinton's comments as an effort to evade talking about news that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is reportedly going to begin questioning Clinton's aides, and eventually Clinton herself, about her use of a private server as secretary of...

It seems Donald Trump and Vermont’s NEK mega developer Bill Stenger have something in common-they both love EB-5 investors from China. Considering all his anti-immigration and China is “killing us,” stealing our jobs and money rhetoric, Trump surprisingly has no qualms accepting Chinese investor financing for a development project in New Jersey under the Trump® name. chairmantrump1 The Federal EB-5 visa program provides foreign investors with a US green card, for them and their families, and (after two years) permanent resident status in exchange for agreeing to invest $500,000 in an approved US business. In recent years the majority of...

The Democrats have pulled out all the stops to pressure Senate Republicans to hold a vote on President Obama's eventual replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. In particular, they are targeting Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) with vile op-eds in partisan Iowa newspapers and threatening him with a challenge in his re-election bid. Grassley's challenger, former Lt. Governor Patty Judge, said she will focus on Grassley's refusal to cave into the Democrats' wishes hold hearings on Obama's nominee as part of her campaign. Like I said: ALL THE STOPS. Soon-to-be-retired Minority Leader and Chief Obstructor Harry...

With Senator Charles E. Grassley under attack for his handling of the Supreme Court nomination process, a formidable Democratic challenger will run against him this November, the most significant sign yet that Democrats see the court and the candidacy of Donald J. Trump as twin liabilities for Republicans. Patty Judge, a former Iowa lieutenant governor and state agriculture secretary, is expected to announce her challenge this weekend to Mr. Grassley, who is seeking a seventh Senate term and had previously been seen as having little opposition to re-election.

There were no signs of a breakthrough as President Obama met Tuesday with Senate Republican leaders pledging to block anyone he nominates to the Supreme Court. Senate Majority Leader (R-Ky.) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) both sat down with the president in the Oval Office. “They were adamant. They said ‘no, we’re not going to do this at all,’ ” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said after the meeting. “All we want them to do is to fulfill their constitutional duty, and at this stage, they are deciding not to do that,” he added. “They’re going to...

Greg Nash President Obama is ratcheting up the pressure on Senate Republicans to at least talk about his plan to nominate someone to the Supreme Court to replace the late conservative justice Antonin Scalia. Obama has invited Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to meet with him and Democratic leaders Thursday at the White House. So far, Republicans don't appear inclined to accept the invitation, which one GOP aide dismissed as "a photo op." A spokesman for McConnell confirmed that the White House is trying to set up a meeting. But...

Greg Nash Sen. Harry Reid on Tuesday warned that Sen. Chuck Grassley will go down as the "most obstructionist" Senate Judiciary Committee chairman in history for denying a hearing to a Supreme Court nominee from President Obama. The Democratic leader said Grassley (R-Iowa) would eclipse chairmen of the panel during the 1960s who blocked civil rights legislation. "Hard to comprehend, but it appears Sen. Grassley's going to follow through on this plan and go down in history as the most obstructionist Judiciary chair in the history of this country," Reid said. "That says a lot, because we knew about...

PastPresident Obama has begun to consult with key senators from both parties on nominating a successor to the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the White House said Friday. In the past 24 hours, Obama phoned Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), press secretary Josh Earnest said. Both senators have said replacing Scalia should be left to the next president. Earnest described the calls as "entirely professional" and said Obama made clear "he is going to nominate someone." "He is committed to talking to Congress," the spokesman added. "He reiterated his firm...

A top Senate Republican is warning that the federal Bureau of Prisons could be letting Muslim groups with terror ties vet chaplains and religious instructors, increasing the risk of indoctrination and radicalism behind bars. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, in a letter to the agency, flagged "recent revelations that the bureau enlisted an organization previously found to have ties to terrorist organizations" to screen potential Islamic chaplains. "It is imperative that the BOP take every measure possible to ensure the safety of its personnel within federal prisons and take all reasonable measures to ensure that Islamic extremism is...

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump got a boost for his campaign Saturday when Sen. Chuck Grassley appeared at a a rally here for the billionaire businessman. Mr. Grassley, who is easily one of the most popular Republican politicians in Iowa, had previously distanced himself from Mr. Trump, including publicly opposing his plan to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States. In a speech, Mr. Grassley stopped short of endorsing Mr. Trump. Instead he called for Trump supporters to keep up the energy they showed at rallies throughout the state and turn out to caucus for Republicans on Feb. 1....

The Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform bill passed the Senate after a series of votes in June 2013. Democrats, who controlled the Senate at the time, unanimously supported the bill, while most Republicans opposed it. The four Republicans on the gang - Marco Rubio, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Jeff Flake - of course voted for it, and also agreed with Democrats on a plan to kill almost all GOP amendments.Then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid allowed just a handful of amendments to reach the Senate floor. One, from Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, would have prohibited the legalization of illegal...

The State Department has told Senate investigators it cannot find backup copies of emails sent by Bryan Pagliano, the top Hillary Clinton IT staffer who maintained her email server but has asserted his Fifth Amendment right and refused to answer questions on the matter. State officials told the Senate Judiciary Committee in a recent closed-door meeting that they could not locate what’s known as a “.pst file” for Pagliano's work during Clinton's tenure, which would have included copies of the tech expert's emails, according to a letter Chairman Chuck Grassley sent to Secretary of State John Kerry that was obtained...

Heather Samuelson was the Clinton aide who was tasked to go through the former secretary of state's emails and then, later on, was to take a job with the 2016 campaign.

Sen. Marco Rubio is backing a push to increase penalties for undocumented immigrants who reenter the country after previously being deported. The Florida Republican signed onto legislation from fellow 2016 White House hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Thursday, according to the Congressional Record. Under Cruz's legislation, undocumented immigrants face additional prison time if they reenter the country after being deported, including a minimum five-year sentence if they were previously convicted of an aggravated felony or of illegally reentering the country twice. The Texas Republican is expected to come to the Senate floor next week to try to pass the...

Demands accountability of the Obama Administration through legislation cracking down on sanctuary cities, criminal illegal aliens Watch the video WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor citing the Obama Administration’s persistent negligence of immigration law enforcement and bolstering the Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act (S. 2146), of which he is a lead cosponsor, as a small step in the right direction. In addition to stripping certain federal funds from sanctuary jurisdictions, the legislation also incorporates critical elements of Kate’s Law, which Sen. Cruz introduced earlier this year, by imposing...

SIOUX CITY, IA - Another Presidential candidate visits Sioux City. And this time, he's brought some high–profile friends to the event. Texas Senator Ted Cruz appeared with Iowa Congressman Steve King and Senator Chuck Grassley earlier Monday night at Western Iowa Tech. The event at Western Iowa Tech was an opportunity for Cruz to preach his message, of limited government in a fairly conservative part of the state. Congressman Steve King introduced the Texas Senator, praising Cruz's stance against things like Obamacare and the Iran Deal, but stopping short of fully endorsing him. Cruz says one thing sets him...

A Secret Service official’s allegedly deliberate decision to embarrass Rep. Jason Chaffetz could “give pause” to other lawmakers who have applied for federal jobs, cautioned former House Judiciary Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.

Agency watchdogs are up in arms over a Justice Department memo questioning the legality of turning documents they say are crucial to their investigations. The new policy protecting certain portions of sensitive documents — announced last month by the DOJ’s office of legal counsel — came under fresh fire from lawmakers during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday. Lawmakers in both parties, including the top Republican and Democrat on the panel, disagree with the policy shift, saying it goes against the specific intent of the Inspector General Act of 1978. The law specifies that inspectors general have access to...

On his first trip to Iowa as the fresh face of the Republican presidential field, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been putting the pedal to the metal, crisscrossing the Hawkeye State’s corn field-lined interstates in a souped-up Winnebago RV with a goal of hitting all 99 counties before voters here cast the nation’s first votes in the presidential nominating process. Since arriving in Iowa Friday -- the final stop of his whirlwind five-state, 16-city campaign kickoff tour -- it has been abundantly clear that Iowa is the key to Walker’s White House hopes. ~snip~ While campaigning this week, he has...