Going Nuclear? White House Prepares for Battle on SCOTUS Pick
WASHINGTON -- The White House is gearing up for a full court press to get President Donald Trump's pick for the Supreme Court confirmed.
Trump is enlisting help from the most powerful conservative groups in Washington.
Judge Neil Gorsuch is working to win over senators on Capitol Hill and he's being shepherded by an unlikely Trump ally: former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire.
Ayotte spoke out against Trump during the campaign, but now she's using her contacts on both sides of the aisle to help get the president's Supreme Court pick confirmed.
Republicans are singing Gorsuch's praises.
"I think the president made an outstanding appointment. We're all thrilled," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
The GOP needs eight Democrats to gain super majority approval for Gorsuch and prevent a Democratic filibuster against Gorsuch.
While Democratic leaders are promising a fight, at least seven Democrats have already said they won't join in a filibuster.
Nuclear Option
Trump wants to make sure he gets his man on the court even if that means using what's known as the "nuclear option" to change the Senate rules and allow Gorsuch to be confirmed with a simple majority.
"I would say if you can, Mitch, go nuclear," commented Trump. "Because that would be an absolute shame if a man of this quality was caught up in the web."
The president met with an elite group of conservatives to discuss a battle plan.
"We are calling our members to light up the phones in the Senate and to get this nominee through," said Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America.
Some groups will target Senate Democrats facing tough re-election battles in 2018.
"We believe this is an excellent choice and we're going to do everything within our power to help him win confirmation," said Wayne LaPierre of the NRA.
"We were the group that sued to overturn Obamacare and we learned that one judge makes all the difference," said Juanita Duggan of the National Federation of Independent Business.
Trump Tackles Chicago Violence
On another front, President Trump kicked off a month-long celebration of black history at the White House with a listening session that included an idea for curbing the epidemic of gun violence in Chicago.
"I was recently contacted by the top gang thugs in Chicago for a sit down," said Pastor Darrell Scott of the New Spirit Revival Center.
"They reached out to me because they associated me with you; they respect you," he continued. "They believe in what you're doing, and they want to have a sit-down about lowering that body count so in a couple weeks I'm going in to Chicago."
"I think it's a great idea because Chicago is completely out of control," Trump responded.
A Warning for Iran
Meanwhile, National Security Advisor Michael Flynn had some tough words on Iran.
He's pointing to the Islamic Republic's recent ballistic missile launch and attack against a Saudi ship as proof to the international community that the nation's behavior is destabilizing.
He also called out the Obama administration for giving Iran a free pass on its reckless behavior.
"The Obama administration failed to respond adequately to Tehran's maligned actions, including weapons transfers, support for terrorism, and other violations of international norms," said Flynn.
A senior White House official says all options are being considered in response to Iran.
"President Trump has severely criticized the various agreements reached between Iran and the Obama administration, as well as the United Nations, as being weak and ineffective," explained Flynn.
"Instead of being thankful to the United States in these agreements, Iran is now feeling emboldened. As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice," Flynn declared.
