Grassley supports troops to Eastern Europe, talks Supreme Court nominee

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, of Iowa, says he supports the president’s move to send additional troops to Eastern Europe amid Russian tensions with Ukraine.

Grassley says the move will reinforce the United States’ willingness to protect NATO allies. He also says the troops, which are deployed to countries surrounding Ukraine, but not Ukraine itself, will send a strong signal to Russia that an invasion of Ukraine cannot expand past that country.

“Well, I do support it. But even if I didn’t support it, the president has the constitutional authority as commander-in-chief to do that. I think that there’s great nervousness in Europe generally,” said Grassley.

Grassley also says the U.S. should “beef up” the defensive weapons being sent to Ukraine.

On the Supreme Court, Grassley said he did not give President Joe Biden a recommendation for a potential nominee. Grassley met with the president, vice-president and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday.

He also declined to publicly announce any recommendation, instead saying he’ll evaluate whoever the president picks on their merits.

“And I don’t have a suggestion. That’s the president’s responsibility. And then if I did I’d suggest something to him, and particularly if it became public, and then maybe he didn’t nominate that person, then maybe people would draw the conclusion that I’d vote against it because he didn’t take who I said he should take,” said Grassley.

Grassley says he told the president that senators from both sides of the aisle should have a chance to meet one-on-one with any Supreme Court nominee prior to a confirmation vote.

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