He wants Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to do away with the so-called “Blue Slip” tradition that’s stopping the president’s judicial nominees in their tracks.
Trump blasted the 91-year-old Grassley (right) in a Truth Social post as a RINO, or Republican in Name Only, and “sneaky” for not jettisoning the Blue Slip. Any senator from a nominee’s home state can object to a president’s nomination using a form on a blue slip of paper, and that stalls the nomination.
But in his frustration, Bob Vander Plaats of Iowa’s The Family Leader says the president was picking on a very popular senator.
“Chuck Grassley is very popular in our state. We like it that he’s maintained his Iowa roots while going to DC to represent Iowa but also to bless the country.”
Vander Plaats disagrees with the president’s depiction of Grassley.
“I would characterize him as being very savvy. He’s also very concerned about being a strict constitutionalist.”
That being said, Vander Plaats thinks Grassley should do away with the Blue Slip.
“I do understand President Trump’s beef here, that he is appointing U.S. attorneys, and they’re using this blue slip rule to hold up Trump’s appointments from being confirmed.”
While both parties use the tradition, Vander Plaats says Democrats are using it to stack the courts with partisan judges because their ideas don’t play well with the traditional method of debate and counting votes.
“That’s the way the left is trying to advance a lot of the progressive agenda. They can’t get it done through regular legislation, so they run it through the courts.”
