GOP Sen. Rand Paul is throwing his support behind a home-state judicial pick that he stalled three years ago as part of a feud with his fellow Kentuckian Mitch McConnell.
Trump said this week he will nominate Chad Meredith to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Paul’s office said the libertarian-leaning GOP senator is giving his blessing this time around.
“Dr. Paul gladly recommended Chad Meredith to the White House alongside Sen. McConnell. He appreciates President Trump nominating Chad and looks forward to voting for him in the Senate,” his office said in response to a question about whether he would return his “blue slip” — that is, give the assent that has traditionally been required from home-state senators for trial-judge nominees.
It’s a U-turn from 2022 when then-President Joe Biden intended to nominate Meredith for a federal judgeship but pulled the plan after Paul indicated he wouldn’t give his support.
Had Paul continued to oppose Meredith’s nomination, it would have been the latest breach with his party and the White House — he’s currently deeply at odds over the GOP megabill. But Paul’s position in 2022 wasn’t, he emphasized at the time, based on opposition to Meredith but on his belief that McConnell, who was then the minority leader, had effectively cut him out of the nominating process.
Paul said at the time he learned of Meredith’s nomination through an FBI background check and that “McConnell’s to blame for tanking this because he tried to do it secretly.” McConnell told The New York Times that Paul’s position was “utterly pointless.”
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