Posted on 06/11/2004 6:43:58 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Hatch fires back at his conservative critics By Alexander Bolton
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is firing back at conservative critics on and off the Hill who have lambasted him for not moving more judicial nominees out of his committee.
The rift stems from Hatch’s handling of a Senate sergeant at arms investigation into the unauthorized access of close to 5,000 internal Democratic Judiciary Committee documents from committee computers.
Hatch approved the investigation, which resulted in the resignation of Manuel Miranda, who organized the GOP strategy on judges when he served as an aide to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). Miranda was a hero to many conservative activists who say that since his departure, Senate Republicans have not been able to put together a coherent strategy for moving controversial nominees through the chamber.
Hatch called the criticisms unfounded.
“In all honesty, I’m busting my can to get everyone I can through,” Hatch said yesterday in an interview with The Hill.
Hatch also defended a deal that Frist recently struck with Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) to give 25 non-controversial judicial nominees an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor in exchange for a promise from President Bush not to make any more recess appointments of judges this year.
“As far as the 25 are concerned, I don’t know of anyone in their right mind who said that wasn’t a good deal given the circumstances,” Hatch said.
Some conservatives have focused their criticism on what they allege is Hatch’s favoritism toward Thomas Griffith, a longtime acquaintance and fellow Utah Mormon whom President Bush has nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Conservatives charge that Hatch has given up on moving conservative nominees stuck in the Judiciary Committee to make Democrats more likely to approve Griffith’s confirmation. Griffith has been described as a “run-of-the-mill Republican” with questionable conservative credentials.
“I think it’s been clear to us that Hatch’s sole interest was getting his friend confirmed to the D.C. circuit,” said Richard Lessner, the executive director of the American Conservative Union (ACU). “I think it’s pretty clear that he’s going to slow-walk all of the other nominees until he gets his way.”
“[Griffith] was nominated to the same seat as Estrada,” Lessner said, referring to Miguel Estrada, a nominee to the D.C. circuit who withdrew his name from consideration after repeated Democratic filibusters. “I think that helps explain the senator’s lack of enthusiasm for Estrada and having mismanaged Estrada.”
“I think that’s most disappointing,” said Kay Daly, head of Coalition for a Fair Judiciary. “Everyone waiting for a vote deserves a vote, and it’s not time to pick favorites.”
“A number [of people] don’t understand why Mr. Griffith is the only one in Mr. Hatch’s opinion who deserves a vote,” she said.
And many conservatives, including GOP Senate aides who work on judicial issues, are not satisfied with the pace of progress, and point to seven circuit-court nominees who remain bottled up in the Republican-controlled Judiciary Committee.
But Hatch isn’t making any apologies.
“There isn’t one judge on our list that I haven’t spilled blood over, and I really resent the sideline second-guessers who have no idea what’s going on and who launch personal attacks without talking to me,” said Hatch.
Hatch’s defense is bolstered by the Republicans’ impressive record of confirming judges during Bush’s administration.
A review of the record showed that the Senate has confirmed 180 judicial nominees since Bush took office, more nominees than any other comparable period in Senate history.
Hatch is especially strong in his replies to those who criticize his handling of Griffith’s nomination.
“I think it’s anti-Mormon prejudice raising its ugly head again,” said Hatch, referring to criticisms of his focus on Griffith. “I’ve dealt with that my entire life and during my time in the Senate as well.”
Hatch said that Griffith deserves to be a priority because the D.C. circuit is such an important court. It hears hundreds of cases that affect all Americans — cases the Supreme Court never has a chance to review.
Hatch said: “Those who don’t understand how important it is to fill a seat on the D.C. circuit are absolute raving idiots. If Griffith doesn’t make it, it’s because of idiots who can’t think past the end of their nose.”
Griffith served as legal counsel to the Senate from 1995 to 1999.
Many GOP Senate aides have been as critical as Lessner and other conservative activists.
“It’s important to push through all the nominees in the committee and not trade off [with Democrats] on one nominee because he is Mormon and from Utah,” said an aide.
GOP aides said that Bruce Artim, Hatch’s staff director on the committee, made it clear in a recent meeting that other nominees would take a back seat to Griffith. The Washington Times first reported the meeting, yesterday.
A second GOP aide said Hatch “loves to put his protégés in high places all over government.”
Other Republicans note that time is running out on nominees who have yet to reach the Senate floor.
Jeff Mazzella, the executive director of the Center for Individual Freedom, said, “I know there’s been a lot of frustration with Hatch.”
“Hatch has had a very poor record moving judges out of committee,” Mazzella said, noting that a committee vote on the nomination of Henry Saad to the U.S. Circuit of Appeals for the 6th Circuit has been delayed close to 20 times.
Confronted with what they view as a vacuum in leadership in Congress, conservatives are turning to Miranda to help spearhead a strategy on judges, despite evidence that a U.S. attorney is pursuing a criminal case against the former GOP leadership staffer.
David Kelley, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan who has overseen high-profile cases against Martha Stewart and former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers, has contacted witnesses to provide testimony in a potential case against Miranda.
Miranda led three private conference calls last week that included close to 20 conservative groups and is the head of the new Ethics in Nominations Project, a project in cooperation with the Coalition for a Fair Judiciary, one of the leading conservative advocacy groups in the battle over judges.
The groups discussed how to move a bloc of circuit-court judges that have been bogged down in the Republican-controlled Judiciary Committee and how to overcome GOP opposition to Leon Holmes, a nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
The Ethics in Nominations Project plans to assemble a group of ethicists to outline rules for how senators should deal with judicial nominees. The project will seek to highlight what its organizers see as corruption in the confirmation process.
Conservatives say this is evidenced by internal Democratic Judiciary Committee memos that became public last year.
He's one of those who will be memorialized by Sand Sculpture.
Hatch is to busy playing bartender to ted (I can't swim) Kennedy to be bothered with Judgeships.
Just who elects this PU$$Y into office. We need leaders and statesmen at this time in history. To hell with knee-pad wearing, self centered, socialist bent, "Why Can't We All Just Get Along whinning, socialist jerks.
Just who elects this PU$$Y into office.
The electorate of UT: 1976, 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000, they never tire of him, it seems.
One trick pony. What a boring life they must lead. Don't these folks get a chance to embrace the surroundings and get a feel for the creation that is all around them?
How can they explain such narrow thought?
I don't doubt this, but nobody's accusing you of not putting in effort.
The criticism stems from the fact that you're ineffective despite your best efforts. We're not interested in "the old college try" anymore. We want somebody in there who can get results.
You're too old. Let go. Its over. Nobody listens to techno.
One headline we will never see is: "Orrin G. Hatch Says He is Fed Up with Ted Kennedy's Liberalism".
Is Orin Hatch a marionette of BroomHillary ?
"Hatch Fries Back at Conservative Critics"
I would love to someday see the headline, "Hatch Fires Back at Democratic Critics" but I don't think that will ever happen.
He just needs to retire, he's weak and unprincilpled. He's afraid if he pisses off the libs he won't get asked on Imus anymore.
You, Orrin, have deserted the people who originally put you into office and the principles they expected you to hold fast to over the years...sadly, you haven't and I hope the people of Utah turn you out with dispatch.
It will be the good, honest, conservative, constitution loving, faithful Americans who do so Orrin...of all stripes...and many of them will be LDS. You are the one who has abandon your roots in this reagrd.
Don't forget who is scheduled to follow Hatch as Chair of the SJC
See how easy it is Orin.
Now, now do not be too hard on Orrin - he had the same procedure as Lott and Frist - at least they will never be exposed to testicular cancer.
"Is Orin Hatch a marionette of BroomHillary ?"
I don't think that there is any question that is the case.
I knew him 40 years ago when he was a rock solid conservative, he's totally changed to being a lap dog for the democrat libs.
I would say that Hatch is back in the scotch again.
Screw you Hatch.
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