Republicans are pissed that a Democrat is using their shady tricks [View all]
Senate Republicans are in a tizzy because Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois put a hold on President Donald Trumps nomination for the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and said hes open to holding up Trumps other U.S. attorney nominees.
Because of then-Senator J.D. Vance holding U.S. Attorney nominations during the Biden Administration, there is now a new precedent for roll call votes on the Floor for confirming U.S. Attorney nominees, Durbin explained in a May 22 statement announcing the first hold.
The response from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, was predictably over the top. He claimed that placing a blanket hold on all 93 U.S. attorney nominationswhich, notably, has not happened yetwould constitute an aggressive, unprecedented attack on the American criminal justice system. Also, per Grassley, blanket holds are meant to wholly obstruct the confirmation process and threaten to undermine the Senates advice and consent role.
And what about the part where Vance did a blanket hold on U.S. attorney nominations first? Grassleys answer is just to say that Vances actions didnt set a precedent, because it was limited to a small number of then-President Joe Bidens nominees. That may be truebut only because Vance didnt take office until January 2023, meaning many of Bidens nominees had already been through the confirmation process.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/2/2325121/-Republicans-are-pissed-that-a-Democrat-is-using-their-shady-tricks