http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/275356-judiciary-chairman-to-meet-court-nominee-tuesdayApril 06, 2016, 12:32 pm
Judiciary chairman to breakfast with Supreme Court nominee Tuesday
By Jordain Carney
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, will sit down with President Obama's Supreme Court pick on Tuesday.
The Iowa Republican and nominee Merrick Garland will have breakfast next week, the committee announced on its Twitter account.
Grassley invited Garland to the morning meeting earlier this week when the two spoke over the phone. The sit-down will mark the first time Garland has met with a member of the Judiciary Committee since being nominated by Obama last month. A hearing before Grassley's committee is the first step toward confirmation.
But the chairman has said he believes the Supreme Court seat should be kept vacant until next year and has given no indication that he's willing to change his mind.
Beth Levine, a spokeswoman for Grassley, said earlier this week that the two could use the breakfast meeting to discuss "the nomination and why the Senate will not consider a nominee until the next president takes office."
Garland will also meet with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), another member of the committee, next week, as well as Republican Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Rob Portman (Ohio).
Every Republican on the committee signed a letter earlier this year to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announcing they would not give Garland a hearing.
Democrats have homed in on Grassley as they work to pressure Republicans to take up Obama's nominee.
Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) slammed the Iowa Republican and McConnell as the Senate returned from a two-week recess on Monday.
"After they've crippled the judiciary, the Republican leader and Chairman Grassley want to hand it over to Donald Trump," he said, referring to the GOP presidential front-runner. "That would be disastrous. That's not what the American people want."
