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Join Telegram ChannelAn anonymous Republican senator reportedly expressed concern that 91-year-old Sen. Chuck Grassely, R-Iowa, would regain his position as chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee if the Republican Party takes control of the upper chamber.
Whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris wins in November, the next chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee could oversee several Supreme Court nominations and other judicial picks.
The unnamed GOP senator, who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke to Punchbowl News on condition of anonymity, questioning Grassley's ability to vigorously fight the committee's top Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, as well as a Harris-led White House.
“Chuck is extremely sharp. A lot of that has to do with his character – he's not a knife fighter. He's just too distinguished for that,” the senator said. “I've seen Durbin operate and he does his job well. He won't hesitate.”
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Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, participates in a hearing on the attempted assassination of former President Trump convened by the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees in Washington, DC, July 30, 2024. (ALLISON BAILEY/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Although several senators and aides reportedly doubted Grassley's ability as a “fighter” to confront possible attacks on future Trump Supreme Court nominees, Punchbowl News said their concern was not the same as of the senator. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., coped. She resigned as the committee's top Democrat in 2020.
Progressives have shredded Feinstein's handling of the Supreme Court nominations of Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, and the senator has also faced questions about her mental health.
Another Republican senator told Punchbowl News that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito maybe I could retire next year, and Democrats are concerned about the health of Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
“The stakes are going to be high,” the senator told Punchbowl News.
Those defending Grassley note how the nonagenarian guided Trump's previous Supreme Court nominees through their Senate confirmation hearings, despite intense backlash from Democrats and other groups.
They also credit the eight-term senator with the Supreme Court's current conservative majority, as Grassley and other Republican senators decided in 2016 to forgo hearings needed to advance Merrick Garland's nomination to the high court. That effort, however, was largely led by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., then the majority leader.
“No one is better prepared to lead the Senate Judiciary Committee than Senator Grassley,” Clare Slattery, a spokesperson for Grassley, told Fox News Digital. “He has a proven track record of success, having confirmed a historic number of constitutionally sound judges, and he continues to set the benchmark for congressional oversight and investigations.”
“Simply put, no one tops Chuck Grassley,” she said. “Senator Grassley looks forward to continuing to build on his strong conservative record as Judiciary Chairman in the next Republican majority in the Senate.”
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“Even at 91 years old, Grassley runs circles around his colleagues”, Mike Davis, Grassley's former chief counsel for appointments, told Punchbowl News. “It's wishful thinking if people think he's not going to be the next Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary. Trump will be very happy that it's Grassley because Grassley has proven to be very effective for Trump.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“Would any other senator have been able to do what Grassley did?” Michael Zona, a former top aide to Grassley, told Punchbowl News. “Has anyone been more successful than Grassley in confirming judges? Who other than Grassley has demonstrated that he will not yield more to political pressure?”
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Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the current ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is second in seniority to Grassley, who is currently the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee.
Graham, who some conservatives fear as a potential Judiciary Committee chairman given his history of voting for Democratic judicial picks, told Punchbowl News on Monday that he has “all the confidence in the world in Senator Grassley's ability to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee. “