During the Senate’s initial judicial candidate hearing on Wednesday, Senator Dick Durbin took the opportunity to highlight that he backs at least one of President Donald Trump’s nominees for the Justice Department. He mentioned a Florida candidate, saying he had spoken with both senators from the state. “It’s not personal,” he noted, emphasizing the need for fairness and bipartisanship moving forward.
As the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Durbin is currently holding up Trump’s selection for the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. attorney, Jason Redding Kinnons. He has indicated that he may further impede Trump’s nominations, which include candidates for one of the 93 U.S. attorney positions.
The hearing centered around five candidates proposed by Trump for federal judge roles. Durbin has linked his actions to Vice President JD Vance’s announcement of a DOJ candidate earlier in 2023. It seems Vance had previously stated he wouldn’t advance a nominee until General Merrick Garland halted actions against “political antagonists.”
Senator Chuck Grassley, the committee chairman from Iowa, expressed his own opposition to Vance’s approach but took a different stance on the issue. He remarked that indiscriminately blocking nominees at the beginning of an administration isn’t legally justified, especially before confirming even one of the U.S. attorneys.
Grassley, who has delayed nominations in prior administrations, advocated for using holds “selectively.” He warned that interference with U.S. attorney positions could ultimately jeopardize public safety across the nation.
Durbin suggested that Vance had altered the procedural landscape quickly. He expressed a willingness to pursue a resolution regarding the nominations but provided little additional clarity when pressed for details.
Meanwhile, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer pointed out that there’s pressure from Republicans to “quietly rubber stamp” Patrick Davis’ nomination, which he intends to resist.
Davis, a former aide of Grassley, was appointed by Trump. Schumer criticized the DOJ’s handling of Davis’ nomination, specifically its failure to respond to queries about a luxury plane provided to the Trump administration by Qatar.
In his response to Schumer, Grassley questioned why Democrats expect the DOJ to respond to congressional inquiries while they obstruct Trump’s nominees responsible for those replies.
The rapid confirmation process for the last two Senate-certified directors of the Bureau of Legislative Affairs happened under both the Biden and early Trump administrations through a simple voice vote.
