WASHINGTON, D.C. – After an hour and ten minutes and a bowl of oatmeal and cup of coffee, at least for one of them, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Supreme Court justice nominee Merrick Garland did not make any news other than actually meeting face to face. That’s because Grassley remains adamant in his decision not to host a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Garland’s nomination.
“We had a very pleasant conversation,” said Grassley in a phone interview with Local 5 Tuesday. “But when it was all said and done, I told him, as he probably knew ahead of time, so I didn’t have to tell him. But I let him know there wasn’t going to be any changes to what our plans were.”
Grassley, as well as a majority of Senate Republicans, has been saying for weeks after the late-Justice Antonin Scalia’s death and empty seat on the highest court, that the people, not the president, should decide on the next justice.
Over the phone on Tuesday, Grassley again pointed to history being on his side.
“If people study their history, they’ll know we’re doing what the Constitution requires,” said Grassley. “The president can do whatever he wants. He nominates someone. Then the Senate can differ. We undertake, advise, and consent. It’s essentially a veto of the nomination. We’re doing our constitutional thing as it’s been done in the history of the United States.”
Despite Grassley’s efforts to derail the hearing process, Garland is continuing to meet with other senators, both Democrat and Republican, this week on Capitol Hill.
