President Donald Trump was caught complaining about repeated blocks of his appointments after acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba resigned.
In footage posted on social media, Trump could be heard venting about his judicial appointments being blocked as the press was shepherded out of the room.
“You know I can’t appoint anybody,” Trump said. “Everybody I’ve appointed, their time has expired. Then they’re in default, then we’re losing.”
Trump’s disdain for the “blue slip” practice for judicial nominees is well known, and he’s repeatedly called for Congress to abolish it. Republicans have so far given rare resistance to Trump’s wishes, with Senate Republicans siding with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who has been a strong defender of the century-old unofficial rule.
The Senate Judiciary Committee typically doesn’t advance judicial nominees unless both senators from the state of the appointment return a blue slip in favor of the nominee. With Democrats steadfastly against Trump’s nominees, he has been forced to appoint his picks to short terms that quickly expire. Attempts to stay past their deadline have been dealt a critical blow in the courts, most recently resulting in the resignation of a major Trump ally, Habba.