Democrats Embarrassed Themselves at Barr Hearing
There was one consistent theme throughout the testimony of Attorney General Bill Barr yesterday – Democrats failed to get any of their attacks to stick and only accomplished embarrassing themselves at every accusatory question.
Read moreTop Moments of Barr Hearing
Today, Attorney General William Barr testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the report by special counsel Robert Mueller.
He re-affirmed what we already know to be true: President Trump did not collude with the Russian government.
As expected, Democrats’ theatrics were put on full display throughout the hearing as they attacked AG Barr and accused him of petty mishandling of the report.
Read moreICYMI: Senate Rule Change Already Having a Positive Effect
Thanks to the leadership of Senator James Lankford and Leader Mitch McConnell, efficiency and order have been restored to the U.S. Senate. Their resolve to move past the Democrats’ partisan obstruction is now allowing the Senate to fill judicial vacancies in a timely manner and equip federal courts to be fully operational and serve the American people.
Read moreICYMI: Senate Democrat Hypocrisy on Display over Rules
Under the leadership of Senators Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham, James Lankford, and Mitch McConnell, Senate Republicans have been confirming judges at record pace. Democrats have not tried to substantively oppose most nominees (maybe because they are so well qualified) but have attempted to use obscure Senate procedures to do so. An example was the “cloture rule:”
This involves Rule 22, which provides a time consuming process to end debate, a necessary step before the Senate can vote on confirmation. Under Rule 22, even when the Senate votes to end debate, there can be up to 30 more hours of consideration. In the past, the minority party cooperated to informally schedule a final confirmation vote. Today, Democrats will not cooperate on anything, forcing the Senate to use this drawn out process for nearly every nomination, including those with no actual opposition.
The Senate has taken six times as many of these unnecessary cloture votes as during the same period under the previous nine presidents combined. You read that right. Even though the Senate votes to end debate every time, Democrats insist that the clock keep running for those 30 hours of debate after cloture. Even worse, they almost never spend time on the Senate floor actually debating these nominations.
Read morePresident Trump and Judges: So Much Winning
Today, Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s replacement on the D.C. Circuit, Neomi Rao, was confirmed. This was yet another “victory” in the effort to confirm great judges and justices. The results are starting to show.
Read moreSenate Judiciary Advances AG Nominee Barr and 44 Judicial Nominees
Today, at the end of a long executive business meeting, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to report favorably the nominations of William Barr to be Attorney General and 44 judicial nominees, including circuit court nominees Bridget S. Bade (Ninth Circuit), Paul B. Matey (Third Circuit), Eric D. Miller (Ninth Circuit), Eric E. Murphy (Sixth Circuit), Chad A. Readler (Sixth Circuit), and Allison Jones Rushing (Fourth Circuit). The judicial nominees had previously had hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee but were held up by Democrats' delays and obstructions, so they had to be re-nominated by President Trump in this Congress.
Read moreSenate Judiciary Dems Looked Foolish During Yesterday's Rao Hearing
Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing for current Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Administrator and Scalia Law Professor Neomi Rao's nomination to the D.C. Circuit. RNLA Executive Director Michael Thielen described in the Daily Caller how Senate Judiciary Democrats attempted to trip her up and ended up only looking foolish themselves:
Read moreHearing Day 2: William Barr Finishes Confirmation Hearings Unscathed & Should Earn Bipartisan Support
Today was the testimony of expert panelists regarding the confirmation of the Honorable William Barr to become Attorney General of the United States. Republican witnesses offered testimony explaining why Mr. Barr is the right fit at the U.S. Department of Justice. Meanwhile, the Democratic witnesses failed to present any real concerns about Mr. Barr or his past tenure as Attorney General in the early 1990s but rather focused on other, systemic issues they perceive in the laws and justice system. Some of most noteworthy testimony for Republican witnesses included:
Read moreDemocrats Fail to Land Any Hits on Bill Barr in Day 1 of Hearing
Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee began its public consideration of William Barr, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Senate Judiciary Democrats tried and failed to trip up Mr. Barr, who was professional, calm, and lawyerly throughout the hearing. He frequently declared that he would be an independent attorney general committed to the rule of law and the Constitution, as he was when he served as President George H.W. Bush's attorney general. The RNLA live-tweeted the hearing.
Here's a look back at what happened the last time the Senate considered him for the same job.
Read moreMeet the Three New Republican Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee
The Senate Judiciary Committee will have three new faces on the Republican side as the 116th Congress gets underway today: Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa, Senator Marsh Blackburn from Tennessee, and Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri. Senators Ernst and Blackburn will be the first two women to ever serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee for the Republicans. These new committee members will be in the spotlight as the Senate Judiciary Committee looks to continue confirmation hearings on judges and cabinet members, especially the already announced hearing on President Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, William Barr, which will take place on January 15 and 16, per a statement released by outgoing Chairman Chuck Grassley and incoming Chairman Lindsey Graham.
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