Chuck Grassley and John Thune allow Democratic senators in California to veto presidential nominees for U.S. Attorney positions by maintaining the blue slip policy.
Posted by VINCE, Checked
- Sources
- 7 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 70%
VINCEOct 28, 2026
Sources from 2025 through September 2026 show Grassley and Thune both declined to end the blue slip practice, which lets home-state senators effectively block U.S. attorney nominees, and Reuters and the Gazette describe this as a de facto veto. No source directly reports California's two Democratic senators blocking a specific U.S.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… Attorney in California right now, is because we have a we have a blue slip in the freaking Senate that Chuck Grassley and John Thune have been protecting, which allows the Democrats in California to veto any good pick that the President of the United States would make for that state. Thank you. That's right. That's exactly right. Padilla and Watermelon Head are the two senators in California right now. They have veto authority. It's not even a real authority; it's just a it's just a ceremonial thing. …
VINCE · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Thune rejected Trump's call to end the blue slip, saying there was no strong interest in changing it, and Grassley refused to abandon it despite Trump's pressure.[1][2][3]
Supports. Blue slips let home-state senators effectively veto U.S. attorney and district judge nominees, and Reuters and the Gazette describe the practice as a de facto veto by Democratic senators in Democratic-led states.[1][5]
Supports. Trump's complaints explicitly named California among Democratic-controlled states where blue slips blocked his U.S. attorney picks, and Grassley's spokesperson said nominees without blue slips cannot advance.[6][7]
Supports. A September 2026 Politico report says Senate Republicans have so far defended the blue slip and that Mike Lee would keep the practice in place under his leadership, so the policy was still in force near the claim date.[4]
Context. Sources do not name California's specific senators or a specific blocked California nominee, so the California-specific application rests on general coverage of the practice.
Sources
7 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 2 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1Republican US Senator Grassley clashes with Trump over nominationsreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Why Trump dislikes Senate blue slips for nominees | AP Newsapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3GOP Senate leader rejects Trump call for end to bipartisan judicial nomination tradition | CNN Politicscnn.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 4Mike Lee could soon be in position to grant Trump a big Senate wishpolitico.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Trump's attack on 'blue slips' looms over Senate Judiciary ...gazette.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Grassley ‘Offended’ by Trump Call to End Nominations Custom (1)news.bgov.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7Trump matches Biden's first year of US attorney nomineeswashingtonexaminer.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post