Biden sidesteps Kentucky Democrats, strikes deal with McConnell to appoint anti-abortion lawyer who was too controversial for Trump as federal judge

[Morrison71]

Biden is trading the judgeship for 2 US Attorney positions. The lawyer was too controversial for Trump because he was involved in what resembled a sale of a pardon for a murderer in exchange for political donations.

The Biden-McConnell Deal to Make an Anti-Abortion Advocate a Federal Judge Is Still On

New details of the controversial Kentucky compromise that has enraged Democrats.

slate.com

Biden is trading the judgeship for 2 US Attorney positions. The lawyer was too controversial for Trump because he was involved in what resembled a sale of a pardon for a murderer in exchange for political donations.

The Biden-McConnell Deal to Make an Anti-Abortion Advocate a Federal Judge Is Still On​

New details of the controversial Kentucky compromise that has enraged Democrats.
slate.com

President Joe Biden struck a deal with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to nominate Chad Meredith, a Republican anti-abortion advocate, to a federal judgeship on the Eastern District of Kentucky, Slate has confirmed. Under the arrangement, Meredith would take the seat currently occupied by Judge Karen Kaye Caldwell, a George W. Bush nominee. Caldwell submitted her move to senior status on June 22, which, once complete, will allow Meredith to take the seat. A lawyer with connections to the Kentucky governor's office who is familiar with the agreement told Slate that Caldwell conditioned her move upon the confirmation a successor—specifically, the conservative Meredith. In exchange, McConnell will allow Biden to nominate and confirm two U.S. Attorneys to Kentucky.
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The deal has prompted fury from Democrats since it was first reported by the Louisville Courier Journal's Andrew Wolfson and Joe Sonka on Wednesday. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, confirmedthe planned nomination at a Thursday press conference. Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth also confirmed the White House's intent to nominate Meredith in an interview with Slate on Friday. Yarmuth described the agreement as "indefensible" and said he wrote "the strongest text message I have ever written to anybody" to a contact at the White House expressing his "outrage."

Beshear and Yarmuth were especially frustrated because they had intended to submit potential nominees as soon as vacancy arose on the court. The White House was aware of this plan, but did not inform them that Caldwell planned to take senior status. As a result, Beshear and Yarmuth had no opportunity to make recommendations. Instead, the Biden administration coordinated with McConnell to tee up Meredith's nomination once Caldwell announced her intent to leave the seat. According to Slate's source in Kentucky, McConnell agreed, in exchange, to stop blocking Democrats' preferred nominees for U.S. Attorney in the state. McConnell has sought to place his own allies in these positions—including prosecutor Thomas B. Wine, who as the Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney refused to charge the police officers who killed Breonna Taylor.
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Meredith is an especially controversial nominee because of his close ties with Matt Bevin, the former Republican governor. He played an integral role in the controversial pardons that Bevin issued after losing reelection in 2019. Most notably, the former governor pardoned Patrick Baker, a man convicted of homicide whose family hosted a political fundraiser for Bevins. U.S. Attorneys later retried Baker in federal court; he was once again convicted by a jury and sentenced to nearly four decades in prison. Meredith assisted Bevins with pardons in his capacity as legal counsel to the governor, recommending which applicants merited clemency. He then withheld records relating to these pardons from the Beshear administration. The Trump administration considered nominating Meredith to a federal judgeship but dropped the plans in 2020 following the pardon controversy, as the Louisville Courier Journal reported at the time.
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[St. Louis Hawk]

FFS. Dems hold the Senate. Unless there are details to this deal that haven’t been disclosed — and it’s also 6 to 5 or pick ‘em if Cocaine Mitch will live up to his deal — why are Dems trading a lifetime appointment for two US attorney who could be out of office in 30 months?

Push your US Attorney nominees through the Senate.

 

[mnole03]

LOL. The Democrats are hopeless.

 

[Morrison71]

charlie brown football gif

 

[ConvenientParking]

FFS. Dems hold the Senate. Unless there are details to this deal that haven’t been disclosed — and it’s also 6 to 5 or pick ‘em if Cocaine Mitch will live up to his deal — why are Dems trading a lifetime appointment for two US attorney who could be out of office in 30 months?

Push your US Attorney nominees through the Senate.

Just have to give McConnell a round of applause I think.

 

[Morrison71]

LOL. The Democrats are hopeless.

And the other side is insane, great time to be an American….

 

[GroupThink]

LOL. I am hopeless.

FIFY

 

[mnole03]

FIFY

That like ratio is hopeless.

 

[Jerome Silberman]

They both can go to hell.

 

[The Tradition]

Holy word salad thread title, Batman!

 

[dgordo]

LOL. The Democrats are hopeless.

The epitome of bringing a knife to a gun fight

 

[DooBii]

Holy word salad thread title, Batman!

That's what I thought. It's like an espn statistic - he's the first left handed red headed pitcher to throw 8 strikes in an odd numbered inning on a Wednesday since 2002.

 

[mnole03]

Just have to give McConnell a round of applause I think.

He got his ex-GF a US Attorney position, a federal judgeship, and now he’s letting her pick her successor.

I imagine that the Republicans that attacked Kamala are outraged by all of this.

 

[dgordo]

That's what I thought. It's like an espn statistic - he's the first left handed red headed pitcher to throw 8 strikes in an odd numbered inning on a Wednesday since 2002.

I was under the impression this site had a limit for title length but I guess not.

 

[GroupThink]

That like ratio is hopeless.

Case in point. The mindset of a teenage girl thinking popularity is relevant. Consider the audience on here and what I post. There are about 2 others who are politically close and 3 that may agree a couple of times a week.

 

[dgordo]

Case in point. The mindset of a teenage girl thinking popularity is relevant. Consider the audience on here and what I post. There are about 2 others who are politically close and 3 that may agree a couple of times a week.

popularity is all that matters. What’s the point of it all without likes?

 

[GroupThink]

popularity is all that matters. What’s the point of it all without likes?

What do you think the origin story of my name is? Observation of the traveling like minded morons on here.

 

[dgordo]

What do you think the origin story of my name is? Observation of the traveling like minded morons on here.

I can’t like this post.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

I love where a new poster - probably Chief Turkeyscratch or similar idiot in a prior incarnation - claims to have it all figured out and is above the rest of us unwashed bleating sheep. Magnificent.

 

[lucas80]

Mitch is also holding up the remains of BBB which has provisions for strengthening computer chip manufacturing in the US. He hates a provision in it that allows states to cut better deals with pharmaceutical companies. If that seems odd, then what does any DC deal do? It’s all grinding out sausage. Mitch doesn’t give AF. He is the most transactional, cynical SOB that the Senate has ever seen.

 

[like-woahh]

I'm a pretty empathetic guy, but there are certain people where I just wish they would die already. Mitch is one of those fellas.... he is such a collosal piece of shit.

I don't want the guy to suffer or anything, but maybe an Indiana Jones style scythe could come out of a wall end it instantly.

Unfortunately I don't think it's going to happen. The worst people just stick around forever.