Republicans are questioning President Obama’s heroic-sounding battle with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell over the GOP blocking his nominees.
As we reported last night, the White House released a statement detailing what Obama told McConnell about obstructionism. Obama said he told McConnell in a meeting Tuesday if the holds weren’t released he would use his power for recess appointments, and noted that 27 of his nominees were confirmed last night.
A Politico report takes it a bit further, detailing Obama’s body language and noting the president was “forceful” with McConnell.
A Republican aide scoffed at the reports as White House “spin,” adding that the confirmations last night were nothing unusual.
“We clear the nominees that can be cleared before going on a recess. We did it on Christmas eve, too–but that was a larger group than this,” the aide told TPMDC.
Obama’s statement did not mention Sen. Richard Shelby’s blanket holds, but those were actually released Monday – before the McConnell meeting.
