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President Donald Trump called out Senate Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley while asserting that multiple U.S. attorney picks remain unconfirmed because Grassley is honoring the blue slip tradition.
The arcane custom involves showing deference to home-state senators by allowing them to stymie the confirmation of nominees they do not like.
“I have eight GREAT U.S. Attorneys, Highly Respected ALL, who will not be confirmed for their positions in various Highly Consequential States only because they’re Republicans, and the Democrats have convinced Chuck Grassley to honor the stupid and outdated ‘Blue Slip’ tradition, which precludes very talented and dedicated people from attaining High Office,” the president asserted in part of a Truth Social post on Thursday night.
TRUMP NOMINEES SQUEEZED BETWEEN ‘BLUE SLIPS’ AND BLUE OBSTRUCTION
Trump speaks during a meeting with President of Argentina Javier Milei in the Cabinet Room at the White House on Oct. 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
In a portion of another post, the president claimed, “A ‘Blue Slip’ means that if you’re a Republican President, and there happens to be just one Democrat Senator in a state where you are appointing a U.S. Attorney or District Court Judge, you will never be successful in getting a Republican confirmed. In other words, ‘Blue Slips’ are a disaster, and I have eight GREAT Republican U.S. Attorney Candidates who will not be able to fulfill their service to the people of a state that voted overwhelmingly for me.”
The president has repeatedly sounded off about the blue slip issue this year.
“Chuck Grassley should allow strong Republican candidates to ascend to these very vital and powerful roles, and tell the Democrats, as they often tell us, to go to HELL!” Trump asserted in part of an August Truth Social post.
TRUMP THREATENS LAWSUIT OVER CENTURY-OLD SENATE TRADITION DELAYING HIS NOMINEES
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is seen in the U.S. Capitol during votes related to the government shutdown on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
A Grassley spokesperson responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Friday by pointing to an August post on X in which the senator addressed the blue slip issue.
“A U.S. Atty/district judge nominee without a blue slip does not hv the votes to get confirmed on the Senate floor & they don’t hv the votes to get out of cmte As chairman I set Pres Trump noms up for SUCCESS NOT FAILURE,” the senator asserted in the post.
TRUMP TELLS GRASSLEY TO TELL DEMOCRATS ‘GO TO HELL’ OVER BLOCKED JUDICIAL NOMINEES IN SENATE
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, speaks during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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In another post the same day in August, Grassley wrote, “The 100 yr old ‘blue slip’ allows home state senators 2 hv input on US attys & district court judges,” adding, “In Biden admin Republicans kept 30 LIBERALS OFF BENCH THAT PRES TRUMP CAN NOW FILL W CONSERVATIVES.”
