President Donald Trump lashed out Sunday night at Republican senators who defended a Senate rule that blocked his former personal attorney, Alina Habba, from becoming U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
Trump directed his criticism at Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., both of whom defended the “blue slip” rule. The tradition allows home-state senators to block judicial and prosecutorial nominees. In this case, Cory Booker and Andy Kim of New Jersey used the rule to stop Habba’s confirmation.
On Truth Social, Trump blasted both Grassley and the rule.
“I have a Constitutional Right to appoint Judges and U.S. Attorneys, but that RIGHT has been completely taken away from me in States that have just one Democrat United States Senator,” Trump wrote, calling the blue slip rule “old and outdated…that Senator Chuck Grassley, of the Great State of Iowa, refuses to overturn.”
“Chuck Grassley should allow strong Republican candidates to ascend to these very vital and powerful roles,” he added, “and tell the Democrats, as they often tell us, to go to HELL!”
Habba, speaking on Fox News, echoed Trump’s frustration.
“This tradition that Senator Grassley is upholding effectively prevents anybody in a blue state from going through into the Senate to then be voted on,” she argued.
Grassley defended his position in a post on X.
“A U.S. Atty/district judge nominee without a blue slip does not [have] the votes to get confirmed on the Senate floor & they don’t [have] the votes to get out of [committee]…As chairman I set Pres Trump noms up for SUCCESS NOT FAILURE,” he wrote.
Just days earlier, a judge ruled that Habba had been “unlawfully” serving as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor since she only held the role in an acting capacity.
