Tom Fitton: Thank you Senator Grassley for being with us. Sometimes we may feel like we’re alone in town, but we’re not alone because there are folks like you in the Senate who cast a very critical eye on the operations of government and are very angry and upset when government officials do things improperly.

Senator Grassley: One thing that separates Judicial Watch and me from the rest of some people in Congress, particularly liberals, is we have the Constitution on our side.

Klayman: Senator Grassley, you’re a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Lost in the news of Iraq and heightened terror alerts, is the controversy over the nomination of Mr. Estrada to the D.C. Court of Appeals. By all accounts a fine, respected lawyer who has the ability to serve. Nothing can be said against him, yet some of your colleagues are gumming up the works.

Grassley: Well, simply put, I think it’s an effort among the Democrats now, who are in the minority in the Senate, to turn around the results of the last election. I suppose, under the cover of potential war in Iraq, they feel that they can get away with it.

Fitton: Senator, do you recall when there were concerns about an African-American nominee by President Clinton? Republicans were concerned about his qualifications, but the implication was made that they opposed him because of race. At the same time, many Democrats have come out against the most significant Hispanic nomination to a court in years, if not the most significant, saying that he¹s not Hispanic enough and, yet, we don’t see the same level of outrage. A double standard perhaps?

Grassley: If I applied the same litmus test standard that they have applied to Estrada, to Justice Ginsberg, Justice Bryer, Justice Souter, that’s two Democrats and one Republican, I would have had to vote against both of them.

Klayman: See what they’re probably scared of, Senator, is having a conservative Hispanic on the bench, putting him in line for the Supreme Court. There is now a big competition between the Republican and Democratic party for Hispanic votes. They’re worried that Republicans might have somebody to sell to the American people.

Grassley: First of all, let’s make clear that this Mr. Estrada was nominated because he’s very well qualified. He was Editor of the Harvard Law Review, has a Law Degree Magna Cum Laude, Harvard Law School, Phi Beta Kappa, Columbia College for undergraduate. His nomination, I think, speaks very much though about opportunities for the underprivileged, opportunities for immigrants.

Fitton: Are the Democrats going to successfully block the nomination?

Grassley: No, Senator Frist, our majority leader and all of the Republicans are unified and will stand their ground. They’re not going to let the Democrats overturn the results of the last election and exercise their political muscle. This issue is about intellectual honesty and the opposition to Estrada is intellectual prejudice because Democrats believe that unless you think and act like liberals, you aren’t fit to be on the Court.

Klayman: Well thank you Senator. We appreciate everything that you do. Thank you for joining us and we hope to have you again, soon.