Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is stepping down as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and stepping up to lead the Senate Finance Committee.
Now: @ChuckGrassley announces he will opt to serve as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee next Congress, meaning @LindseyGrahamSC would be in line for chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. pic.twitter.com/69FASxl2rz
— Todd Ruger (@ToddRuger) November 16, 2018
Grassley said he's switching committees to help steer the booming economy.
“The economy is better than it’s been in years and there’s a sense of optimism about the future of our country that people haven’t felt in a long time thanks to the pro-growth policies of a Republican President and a Republican majority in Congress,” Grassley said. “Looking ahead, at the Finance Committee, I want to continue to work to make sure that as many Americans as possible get to experience this good economy for themselves." (Politico)
As mentioned in the tweet above, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is waiting in the wings to become the chair of the Judiciary Committee. It seems he already has his priorities in order.
"If I’m chairman next year, we’re going to judges, judges, and more judges," Graham told Fox News host Sean Hannity this week.
If I am fortunate enough to be selected by my colleagues to serve as Chairman, I will push for the appointment and Senate confirmation of highly qualified conservative judges to the federal bench and aggressive oversight of the Department of Justice and FBI. https://t.co/aGu4bXX1Hq
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) November 16, 2018
Graham was one of the loudest voices during the testy confirmation hearings for now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He lambasted his Democratic colleagues for putting the nominee through "hell." It was "the most unethical sham" he'd seen since entering politics.
Graham also plans to look into the FBI’s investigations into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails. Graham is also one of several Republicans who have asked for a second special counsel in the Russia probe, particularly after anti-Trump texts from former FBI agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page surfaced.