Reid: Obama’s Supreme Court nominee could come in a week

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) suggested on Wednesday that President Obama would soon nominate someone to succeed Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. 

“We have a constitutional duty to do our jobs, and that duty is to give advice and consent to the president when he sends a nomination up here, which we’ll have in a matter of a week or so,” the Democratic leader said on the Senate floor.

{mosads}In addition to a public announcement by Obama, the administration also formally submits its nominees to the Senate to begin the confirmation process. 

Reid’s comments come after he, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), the top members of the Judiciary Committee, met with Obama at the White House on Tuesday. 

Reid said during the meeting that the president asked for suggestions for the next Supreme Court justice.

“Obama said, ‘Do you have any names for me? Give them to me. I’ll be happy to take a look at them,'” he said. 

Reid and dozens of other Democratic senators have taken to the Senate floor to slam Republicans after Grassley and McConnell said there would not be a hearing or a vote on whomever Obama nominates. 

The Republican leader said he and Grassley stuck by that strategy during the White House meeting, which he called a “good opportunity to reiterate our view that this appointment should be made by the next president.”

Republicans argue that voters should be able to weigh in on Scalia’s successor by picking the next president.

Grassley added Wednesday that Democrats are continuing to attack the GOP strategy because they “want to make this as political as possible. The press has already picked up on it.”