Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT), the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, used his opening remarks at a committee meeting on Thursday morning to criticize the committee’s chair, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), for not allowing the Democrats to participate in the discussion over whether to consider President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court.
“I know you to be a man who embodies the best traditions and courtesies of this body. That is why I was so disappointed two weeks ago when the Majority Leader announced that the ‘Judiciary Committee has unanimously recommended’ that the next Supreme Court nominee will not receive any consideration this year,” Leahy said in his written remarks.
It was Leahy’s first chance to castigate committee Republicans in person and in public since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last month.
“This is our first business meeting to consider anything since the untimely passing of Justice Scalia. Our Committee has not had the opportunity to discuss how to proceed, and we certainly have not recommended or decided anything unanimously,” he continued.
“So will you return to our practice of working together before decisions are made on how to proceed?” he then asked Grassley.
Leahy noted that Senate Republicans have cited past statements form Democrats when justifying their decision to block Obama’s nominee.
“Republicans are quick to cite comments from Vice President Biden and others about hypothetical situations. But the fact is that we have taken action every time there has been a Supreme Court vacancy. Our actions will continue to speak louder than any words,” he said in the written remarks.
In his written opening statement, Leahy cited legal scholars who recently wrote, “The Constitution gives the Senate every right to deny confirmation to a presidential nomination. But denial should come after the senate deliberates over the nomination, which in contemporary times includes hearings in the Judiciary Committee, and full debate and votes on the Senate floor.”
Before launching into his prepared remarks at the committee meeting, Leahy noted that Democrats’ criticism of Republicans’ approach is not a personal critique of Grassley.
“It’s not about him, or any on of us. It’s about the Constitution,” he said.
Read Leahy’s full opening statement:
“It’s not about him, or any one of us. It’s about the Constitution,” he said.
Good luck with that.
Over and…over and…over and …over and … over ----
Did Leahy know he was talking to grASSly?
“I know you to be a man who embodies the best traditions and courtesies of this body,” said Leahy.
Anybody else’s Sincerity meter getting a reading? Mine says “zero” or maybe the battery is dead.