Senate Republicans have resorted to one of their favorite tactics in defending their Supreme Court blockade: portraying themselves as the victims. Right now, they're trying to make the case that Democrats are picking on Sen. Chuck Grassley, (R-IA) chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) suggested Thursday that Democrats had violated Senate rules with their weeks-long rhetorical attacks on Sen. Chuck Grassley's Supreme Court strategy.
"I think to objective observers that what has ensued over the last week or two has been a concentrated effort to impugn the reputation and honor of the chairman of the Judiciary Committee," he said. […]
Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Reid, quickly fired back that if Grassley "is sensitive about people pointing out his blind obedience to the dictates of Donald Trump and Senator McConnell, Senator Grassley should simply stop obeying the dictates of Donald Trump and Senator McConnell.”
Like that will happen. Grassley himself has been plenty whiny, tweeting out this unbelievable complaint:
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That was in reference to a meeting Democratic senators had with senior White House aides, a meeting that didn't include President Obama. Never mind that the president held a meeting with Grassley and McConnell a week and a half ago (that picture up top is them meeting), during which the Republicans refused to budge. Grassley's also apparently forgetting the secret closed door SCOTUS meeting he and fellow Republican committee members had with McConnell last month, the meeting in which all of those Republicans signed a letter pinky swearing they'd never consider an Obama nominee.
Grassley is working hand in hand with McConnell on this. He's in essence spitting on the constitution, spitting on the institution of the Senate, and making a mockery of his position as the gatekeeper to the federal judiciary. McConnell's second-in-command is issuing threats to potential nominees promising that Republicans will ruin their professional lives if they agree to have their name put forward.
And they have the chutzpah to try to claim victimhood.