At campaign rally in Kentucky, Trump calls McConnell a “rock-ribbed Kentucky leader” and “a tough cookie”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been on a roll. Together Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, McConnell has sheparded through Democrat obstruction a total as of today of 84 Trump judicial nominees, including 15 last week in addition to Brett Kavanaugh.

Included in that group are two Supreme Court justices, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, and 29 Courts of Appeals judges.

Because of the large number of vacancies Trump inherited, Trump has a historic opportunity to reshape the federal judiciary, and he seems serious about it.

At a Trump rally on October 13, 2018, just one week after the Kavanaugh confirmation, McConnell took the stage and told Trump to keep sending nominees:

The president lauded Mr. McConnell as a “rock-ribbed Kentucky leader” and “a tough cookie” before a self-indulgent addendum. “He’s better when I’m president than he ever was before,” he added, to raucous cheers. Mr. McConnell, who shared a handshake and a one-armed embrace with the president on stage, offered a succinct promise when offered the microphone. “Keep sending them our way, and we’ll keep changing the court system forever,” he said.

Angelo Carusone, President of Media Matters and the person behind the Beck, Limbaugh, Fox News and other advertiser boycotts, took note:

The Trump-deranged Kathy Griffin also is upset:

Keep in mind, that the Senate can continue confirming nominees until the next Congress starts in early January. So even if Republicans lost the Senate, which seems unlikely now, the confirmation train can keep rolling down the tracks.

If Democrats are upset now, just wait a couple more months:

There are 32 judicial nominations pending on the Senate floor (one appellate and 31 district), and there are seven judicial nominations (two appellate and five district) ready to be reported out of committee. In addition, there are 14 more judicial nominations (four appellate and ten district) on which a committee hearing has been expected to occur by mid-November. If all of these nominations are confirmed by year-end, that would take President Trump’s total to 137—two Supreme Court justices, 36 federal appellate judges, and 99 federal district judges. For sake of comparison: President Obama’s total during his first two years was 62—two Supreme Court justices, 16 federal appellate judges, and 44 federal district judges.

Here are more complete comments with Trump praising McConnell and complaining about how badly Kavanaugh was treated:



