The White House has started to contact possible picks for President Joe Biden’s first Supreme Court nominee ahead of his self-imposed deadline for making an announcement, CNN reports.
Senior administration sources told CNN that no in-person meetings have taken place yet, and many conversations will likely take place on the phone. The FBI has also begun reaching out to friends and former colleagues of the possible choices.
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his intent to retire late last month, at which time Biden said that he would announce his choice of replacement by the end of February.
Biden recently met with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and the panel’s ranking Republican member, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, in the Oval Office and spoke with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on the phone after having promised to seek the advice and consent of the Senate.
Former Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., was selected earlier this month as the "sherpa" to guide the nominee through the confirmation process, while longtime Democrat strategist Minyon Moore will head attempts to win over outside advocacy organizations, and former White House spokesperson Ben LaBolt will head outside communications.
"What the president's been focused on over the course of the last several days is reviewing and consulting with internal team members on a large — a group — of qualified nominees," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday during a press briefing.
"After last week's meeting with Chairman Durbin and ranking member Grassley, the president, vice president and their senior teams, including White House counsel Dana Remus, have also spoken to a range of additional members of Congress and outside legal experts, and that engagement will continue."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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