President Trump huddled Thursday night with key senators to discuss the vacancy on the Supreme Court and has begun reaching out to other members of the upper chamber.
“Tonight President Trump met with Sens. Grassley, Collins, Murkowski, Manchin, Donnelly, and Heitkamp to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy. The President’s team also talked with more than a dozen other Senators today as part of ongoing outreach to get views and advice from both sides of the aisle on this important nomination,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement to reporters.
[Also read: Oddsmakers favor Kavanaugh, Thapar, Sen. Mike Lee for Supreme Court]
Tonight @POTUS met w/ Senators Grassley, Collins, Murkowski, Manchin, Donnelly, and Heitkamp to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy. @POTUS team also talked w/ more than a dozen other Senators today as part of ongoing outreach to get views and advice from both sides of the aisle.
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) June 29, 2018
The group the president met with included Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, both considered key GOP senators to watch during the confirmation battle.
Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, meanwhile — also in the group of senators who met with Trump — are all facing tough re-elections in states Trump carried during the 2016 campaign.
The three also voted last year to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, who Trump tapped to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat.
Following the meeting, Heitkamp said she had a “solid discussion” with the president.
“I stressed the importance of nominating someone to the Supreme Court who is pragmatic, fair, compassionate, committed to justice, and above politics—traits that match Justice Kennedy and which I know are important to North Dakotans,” Heitkamp said in a statement. “I told the president that he has a chance to unite the country by nominating a true non-ideological jurist who could gain strong support from senators on both sides of the aisle, rather than create more divisions.”
Manchin, too, said he and Trump had a positive meeting.
“I appreciate @realDonaldTrump inviting me to the White House tonight. We had a productive conversation about how we can work together to move #WV and our county forward. I look forward to more positive meetings,” the senator tweeted.
I appreciate @realDonaldTrump inviting me to the White House tonight. We had a productive conversation about how we can work together to move #WV and our county forward. I look forward to more positive meetings.
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) June 29, 2018
The sixth senator who met with Trump is Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
Trump’s meeting with the group of senators comes a day after Kennedy announced he would be retiring from the Supreme Court, effective July 31.
Kennedy has served as the court’s key swing vote. But with a second Trump-nominated justice on the Supreme Court, its ideological bent will shift to the Right.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Wednesday he plans for the Senate to confirm a new justice to the high court by the fall, setting up what is likely to be a messy political battle just before the November midterm elections.
