Posted on 10/31/2019 8:16:23 AM PDT by jazusamo
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is planning to take back the gavel of the influential Judiciary Committee if Republicans keep control of the Senate after the 2020 election.
Grassley chaired the Judiciary Committee for four years, from 2015 to 2019, but handed over the top spot to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in January so that he could take over the Finance Committee.
But under Senate GOP rules, Grassley hits his term limit for the finance panel at the end of 2020. He's informed Graham that he intends to use his seniority to become chairman of the Judiciary Committee starting in 2021.
"He has, I think, two more years," Graham told The Hill on Thursday. "I'd honor any request that he wants to make."
Grassley, who can serve an additional two years as Judiciary Committee chairman according to Senate GOP caucus rules, separately told Bloomberg that he wants to chair the Judiciary Committee again.
Spokesmen for Grassley didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Grassley previously steered the panel though multiple high-profile fights, including the confirmation battles over Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, Trump's two Supreme Court picks.
Graham took over the Judiciary Committee in January, giving him a high-profile perch as he runs for re-election in the deeply red state of South Carolina.
Graham, one of Trump's biggest allies in the Senate, has used the committee to push through Trump's judicial nominees, which was considered to be one of the biggest priorities for the GOP-controlled Senate. His involvement on judicial nominations has earned him praise from conservatives and helped squash any talk of a serious primary challenge.
He's also threatened to use the committee as a counterpoint to the impeachment investigations in the House, including digging into the origins of the Russia investigation and exploring GOP questions about Ukraine and the Bidens.
I would LOVE to see Jim Jordan as House Speaker in 2020!!
I thought Grassley was going to retire ?
Don’t these senile dinosaurs ever retire?
Amen to that!
Grassley strikes me as a rino that will try and use his position to oppose President Trumps conservative judicial nominations.
To me this is bad news. He is like Gowdy on the same day he says something good he’ll stab us in the back in time for the Nightly News Broadcasts.
Not a chance. It's Speaker McCarthy if the Republicans take it back.
Grassley needs to retire. Isn’t he nearing 90?
Grassley did a good job of getting judges through in President Trumps first two years if that’s a sign as to how he’d be in trumps second term.
Then you havent paid attention. Graham brought back blue slips for district court nominees after Grassley ignored them. And Grassley wrestled primary jurisdiction over Russian collusion away from NeverTrumper Richard Burr at Senate Intelligence. Since Grassley left Judiciary, Burr has claimed jurisdiction and attacked the President.
There is a limit to how long a senator can hold a major committee chair, and Grassley is at the limit for Finance, but still has time left to chair Judiciary.
He’s 86 now and time for him to start enjoying retirement in my view.
I remember last year, September of 2018, during the Kavanaugh hearings. The Democrats used their questioning time just to make long speeches about how ‘horrible’ the GOP and Trump were. Grassley just sat there quietly, letting them drone on and on with their ridiculous circular logic. Some wondered if he had been intimidated by the wild histrionics of the #MeToo acolytes. Was he still even sharp enough to tell when someone was spewing B.S.?
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Anyone is better than Linda. Linda as head of the Judiciary Committee hasn’t done jack or shit to help Trump get to the bottom of FISA abuse.
I don’t mean to sound disrespectful of the elderly.
Heck, I’m not getting any younger either.
I would presume being an active part of the government as Grassley is, can be very demanding, mentally draining type of work.
Yep, I have nothing against Sen Grassley but I believe when anyone reaches their 80’s it’s time to retire and make way for the younger crowd.
Grassley likes to straddle the fence! Sometimes he can be a great Trump advocate, other times not so much!
Definitely better people should fill this position!
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina, Chairman
Chuck Grassley, Iowa
John Cornyn, Texas
Mike Lee, Utah
Ted Cruz, Texas
Ben Sasse, Nebraska
Josh Hawley, Missouri
Thom Tillis, North Carolina
Joni Ernst, Iowa
Mike Crapo, Idaho
John Kennedy, Louisiana
Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee [5]
It may be more than half, but at least half of them piss on our pant leg and try to convince us that it is raining.
I hate rinos more than demonRATS.
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