The White House is sending mixed signals on its next Supreme
Court nominee. According to staff of Republican Judiciary members
who have been briefed by the White House, they were encouraged by
the message. "We weren't hearing any names, but were told that we'd
be happy with the pick, that it would be someone we could easily
rally behind," says a Republican staffer of a Judiciary committee
member.
But that isn't the only story coming off Capitol Hill. According
to Senate leadership sources present at a meeting last Thursday
between White House staff involved in the Supreme Court nomination
process and senior Senate staff, the message was quite different.
"We were told that regardless of the pick, it was important for us
to get behind him or her," says someone who attended the meeting.
"It wasn't stated, but the message we got was that there is a very
good chance this is not going to be a pick that we particularly
like."
According to White House sources, several more names will be
floated in the press in the next couple of days, and there is an
expectation that a nominee will be brought forward sooner rather
than later.
topics:
Supreme Court
