Government

Grassley Telling Trump He Really Doesn't Want To Have To Vote On An Unqualified Ghost Hunter

Senate GOP may be turning on these guys.

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We’ve finally found the line that Senator Chuck Grassley sort of, maybe, kind of doesn’t want to cross. The mealy-mouthed chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee who nonchalantly rubber-stamped federal judgeships for law bloggers and guys the FBI claims were deeply embroiled in voter suppression prosecutions has finally decided to pump the brakes, calling on Donald Trump to pull the plug on two of its most nutty nominations: 36-year-old Jr. Ghostbuster Brett Talley and Jeff “Satan’s Plan” Mateer.

Per CNN:

Grassley told CNN that he is advising the White House to “reconsider” the nomination of Jeff Mateer, who was selected to become a federal judge in Texas. He said the White House “should not proceed” on the nomination of Brett Talley, whom Trump picked to become a federal judge in Alabama.

“I’ve advised the White House they ought to reconsider,” Grassley said as he left a Judiciary Committee hearing. “I would advise the White House not to proceed.”

While Grassley deserves some credit for finally waking up long enough to realize these guys are jokes, one can’t help but recognize that Grassley has issued a damning revelation about his own leadership. Grassley thinks Talley is unqualified? That sounds like a job for the Judiciary Committee… who already approved him because Grassley was too feckless to do his job. It underscores once again how much Grassley just blindly approved whomever the right-wing lobbyists told him to without bothering to conduct the baseline inquiry he’s charged with. At least Senator John Kennedy was on the ball, announcing that he couldn’t support someone as unqualified as Talley (UPDATE: It’s worth noting that Kennedy, like Grassley, voted for Talley in committee, only finding his courage on the other side of that vote). Mitch McConnell has had to be the voice of reason on this one, refusing to schedule a floor vote on Talley despite the Judiciary seal of approval.

But, as they say, let’s not focus on how we got here, let’s just be happy Grassley’s made it at all. Talley and Mateer shouldn’t get out of the Senate — just like Jeff Sessions never made it out of the Senate when he was unfit to serve as a judge in the 1980s — and at least Grassley’s noticing. Perhaps this is a trial balloon representing the will of a critical mass of Senate Republicans? Or at least maybe this means Grassley will employ appropriate rigor to his job going forward.

Or maybe this was just opportunistic posturing from an old Senator hoping to save the next slate of shoddy nominees by jettisoning Mateer and Talley now that they’ve become too toxic.

At least they’re both well versed in the art of human sacrifice.

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Exclusive: Grassley urges Trump to reconsider controversial judicial picks [CNN]

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Judicial Nominee May Have Lied To Senate About Role In Racist Voter Suppression Effort
Another Day, Another Comically Unfit Judicial Nominee

HeadshotJoe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.

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