In a fiery outburst, former President Donald Trump lashed out at a veteran Republican senator over the Senate’s adherence to a traditional procedure that he claims is being exploited by Democrats to stymie his judicial nominees. Trump took to Truth Social to express his frustration, alleging that the ‘blue slip’ procedure is being wielded as a tool by Democrats to block his nominations from advancing through Senate confirmation.

This longstanding Senate custom allows senators from a nominee’s home state to object to district court judge and U.S. attorney nominations, effectively giving them veto power. Trump lamented to his followers that his eight esteemed attorney nominees are facing obstructions in securing positions in crucial states solely due to their Republican affiliation. He then turned his ire towards Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, blaming the 92-year-old for upholding this ‘blue slip’ tradition in favor of Democrats.

Trump accused Democrats of persuading Grassley to adhere to what he described as the “stupid and outdated ‘Blue Slip’ tradition,” which, according to Trump, prevents highly qualified and committed individuals from achieving significant positions. He criticized the Democrats for allegedly flouting this practice to their benefit, while Republicans, he claimed, continue to abide by it. “These GREAT people’s careers have been badly hurt by the Radical Left Democrats, using an old and ridiculous custom strictly to their advantage,” Trump asserted, concluding with a lamentation: “What a shame!”

Back in 2022, then-President Joe Biden did not nominate conservative judge Chad Meredith because Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell never consulted with his fellow Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. It is standard precedent for the Senate Judiciary Committee chair to not move forward with US attorney nominations until both senators representing the state return a blue-slip document greenlighting the nominee. Trump continued raging about the ‘blue slip’ rule into the early hours of Friday morning via Truth Social.

‘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.’ The president then suggested that the Senate nomination rule is unconstitutional.

‘The only one I can appoint is a Democrat, and that’s not the deal. Nobody can say that is fair or, even, Constitutional.’ Trump started raging about the Senate norm back in August after claiming his presidential authority to appoint judicial nominees was being ‘completely taken away from me.’

Grassley’s response to the president at the time was claiming that he is setting Trump’s nominees up for success not failure. The senator wrote on X that nominees ‘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.’

Grassley concluded, ‘As chairman I set Pres Trump noms for SUCCESS NOT FAILURE.’ Trump had to withdraw his nomination in July for Alina Habba, his former civil attorney, to be U.S. attorney for New Jersey because the state’s two Democratic senators opposed her appointment.