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White House hits back at Oregon's senators over appeals court nomination
The Oregonian ^ | Sept 18, 2017 | Maxine Bernstein

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.''


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Oregon
KEYWORDS: 9thappealscourt; blueslip; judicialnominee; merkley; ryanbounds; trump; wyden
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Wyden and Merkley tried to make the excuse that the WH didn't consult with them on the Ryan Bounds nomination, thus not returning the blue slips.

WH counsel says not true and it looks like the two senators want a RINO nominated.

1 posted on 09/18/2017 5:37:00 PM PDT by jazusamo
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To: jazusamo

Remind me how many lower court appointments ObaMao sought Republican advice on . . .


2 posted on 09/18/2017 5:39:50 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (ObaMao: Fake America, Fake Messiah, Fake Black man. How many fakes can you fit into one Zer0?)
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To: jazusamo

Vetting? like if he is not a trans with AiDS?


3 posted on 09/18/2017 5:40:20 PM PDT by lavaroise
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To: jazusamo

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?!


4 posted on 09/18/2017 5:40:26 PM PDT by Skywise
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To: jazusamo

The continued Democrat destruction of our Republic.


5 posted on 09/18/2017 5:41:12 PM PDT by antidemoncrat
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To: jazusamo

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.


6 posted on 09/18/2017 5:42:25 PM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here Of Citizen Parents - Know Islam, No Peace -No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: Skywise

Because most of them are undocumented Democrats in R jerseys.


7 posted on 09/18/2017 5:44:01 PM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here Of Citizen Parents - Know Islam, No Peace -No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: Skywise

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.


8 posted on 09/18/2017 5:44:53 PM PDT by jazusamo (Have YOU Donated to Keep Free Republic Up and Running?)
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To: Skywise

McCain probably supports them.


9 posted on 09/18/2017 5:47:35 PM PDT by aquila48
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To: Skywise

Because their are flaccid quilslings and cucks?


10 posted on 09/18/2017 5:51:53 PM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
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MAGA!

Please bump the Freepathon or click above to donate or become a monthly donor!

11 posted on 09/18/2017 5:53:12 PM PDT by jazusamo (Have YOU Donated to Keep Free Republic Up and Running?)
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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.”


12 posted on 09/18/2017 5:54:50 PM PDT by Repeal The 17th (I was conceived in liberty, how about you?)
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To: aquila48

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.


13 posted on 09/18/2017 5:55:46 PM PDT by House Atreides (Send BOTH Hillary & Bill to prison.)
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To: jazusamo

“...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.


14 posted on 09/18/2017 5:58:59 PM PDT by House Atreides (Send BOTH Hillary & Bill to prison.)
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To: House Atreides

Bump!


15 posted on 09/18/2017 6:01:59 PM PDT by jazusamo (Have YOU Donated to Keep Free Republic Up and Running?)
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To: jazusamo

For the vote. Trump needs to call on McConnell to get the senate in order, vote his nominees or step aside.


16 posted on 09/18/2017 6:02:53 PM PDT by Reno89519 (PRESIDENT TRUMP, KEEP YOUR PROMISES! NO AMNESTY AND BUILD THAT WALL.)
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To: jazusamo

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.


17 posted on 09/18/2017 6:31:49 PM PDT by Wuli
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To: House Atreides; jazusamo

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...


18 posted on 09/18/2017 6:38:50 PM PDT by rockrr (Everything is different now...)
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To: jazusamo
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.

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

19 posted on 09/18/2017 6:41:19 PM PDT by Oatka
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To: jazusamo
Eff the blue slip.

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?

20 posted on 09/18/2017 7:05:25 PM PDT by Flycatcher (God speaks to us, through the supernal lightness of birds, in a special type of poetry.)
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