A former top staffer to ex-Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Senate Democrats of capitulating to President Trump’s judicial agenda while “apologizing” for judicial nominations confirmed during the Obama years courtesy of going “nuclear.”
Adam Jentleson, who served as deputy chief of staff under Reid, lashed out after Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee, lamented on Sunday how Democrats eliminated filibusters for most federal judicial nominees and executive-office appointments in 2013 when they controlled the Senate and Reid was majority leader.
“I would prefer to bring it back. We are where we are and now I don’t think anyone’s going to want to hamstring themselves,” Klobuchar said on “Meet the Press,” in drawing attention to how Republicans took a cue from Democrats and voted to go “nuclear” last year by changing the rules so that justices could be confirmed without having to secure a supermajority of 60 votes. This led to her party’s current predicament in trying to block President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh.
“The state of Senate Dems: fast-track Trump judges while apologizing for confirming Obama judges. If we hadn’t gone nuclear in 2013, we would have confirmed fewer Obama judges. McConnell would have gone nuclear himself and had even more vacancies to fill with Trump judges,” Jentleson shot back, referring to Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who succeeded Reid as majority leader.
The state of Senate Dems: fast-track Trump judges while apologizing for confirming Obama judges.
If we hadn’t gone nuclear in 2013, we would have confirmed fewer Obama judges. McConnell would have gone nuclear himself and had even more vacancies to fill with Trump judges. https://t.co/JhzPN0ypzH
— Adam Jentleson ? (@AJentleson) September 2, 2018
Reid argued for doing away with filibusters for most nominees in an effort to stop what he viewed as Republican obstruction on former President Barack Obama’s picks. Only three Democrats joined with Republicans to vote against going nuclear at the time. Klobuchar was not among them.
“What I find most depressing about this is that the tone of caucus conversations has shifted from how do we stop bad things from happening to how do we find an excuse to fold on important fights, then convince ourselves that folding is savvy, not cowardice,” Jentleson added.
