Sen. Grassley: Obama 'Stonewalling' on Scandals

On Tuesday, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) called President Barack Obama “the most stonewalling president this country has ever seen.”

Grassley’s comments, which came during an interview with The Hill, represent a sharp contrast to Obama’s past claims that his is “the most transparent Administration in history.”

Grassley also said despite Obama’s stated desire to foster bipartisan solutions, Obama has not called him a single time in over four years.

Grassley and Obama’s relationship was not always so distant. In 2009, Grassley says Obama reached out to him on several occasions to discuss Obamacare.

During that period of time, the president would call me on my cellphone and talk to me. I don’t know if it was a half a dozen times or a dozen times, but enough so you remember he called you.

We had a meeting down at the White House about Aug. 5, 2009 — the six of us — and he asked me this question: “Would you be willing to be one or two or three Republicans voting with the Democrats to get a bipartisan bill?” and I said, “No.” I never had a phone call from him since.

Grassley’s standing as the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee ensures that the Iowa Republican will play a pivotal role in many top items on Obama’s agenda.

As for the current spate of scandals swirling around the Administration, Grassley focused on Attorney General Eric Holder. 

Grassley says he is reserving judgment on Holder’s fate until the House Judiciary Committee’s determination as to whether Holder perjured himself during testimony regarding Department of Justice’s seizure of reporters’ phone records.

“I’m going to wait until they reach some judgment on that before I ask for a resignation,” said Grassley.