Six Republican senators, led by Sen. J.D. Vance, have vowed to block the early confirmation of President Biden’s key judicial nominees in protest at the “persecution” of former President Donald Trump.
The blockade would include candidates for Supreme Court justices and federal prosecutors, as well as “any candidate who suggests the prosecution of Mr. Trump would have been reasonable.”
“This will continue … until Election Day, when the American people will have the opportunity to firmly reject attempts to resolve political disputes through the legal system.” The senators said in a joint statement.
“While we have no intention of disparaging any particular candidate, we will use every tool at our disposal to mount a robust, public lawsuit if our rights are called into question on the floor of the United States Senate.”
The six signatories are Senators Vance (R-Ohio), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), Michael Lee (R-Utah), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri).
The group released a working list of about 44 Biden nominees who would be subject to a broad blacklist for expedited nomination confirmation.
The announcement came shortly before President Trump traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with Republicans at the Congressional Club and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Vance has been considered a potential running mate for Trump and has publicly acknowledged that he submitted to additional vetting by the former president’s team.
In December, Ms. Taborville ended a nearly 11-month block on promotions and appointments to service members in protest at the Pentagon’s opaque policy of paying for travel expenses for female service members to have abortions.
The total blockade has infuriated Democrats and also unsettled Republicans who worry about the potential damage a blockade could cause to military readiness.
The latest move by six Republicans threatens to undermine a fierce battle to push through Biden’s judicial nominations. Last month, the Senate confirmed Biden’s 200th federal judge, meaning Biden surpassed President Trump in confirmation.
Trump was found guilty of all 34 charges in the hush money indictment on May 30 and has said he will appeal. His sentence is scheduled for July 11.
Republicans were outraged when news of the guilty verdict broke, with Biden calling his rival a “convicted felon.”
On Thursday, a group of 29 Republican senators, including all six who had vowed to support blocking the nomination, wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland denouncing Trump’s conviction as “eviscerating the American judicial process.”
“New York State Attorney Alvin Bragg has no authority to enforce federal election laws, and the federal government will never tolerate state prosecutors violating federal election laws. [Federal Election Campaign Act] “Unless the defendant is Donald Trump, we have no jurisdiction,” they wrote.
“President Biden defended the case rather than condemning the prosecutors for conducting political persecution of Donald Trump.”
Republican lawmakers are rushing to find legislative avenues to help Trump’s numerous legal challenges, including considering a bill that would allow state lawsuits to be moved to the federal level.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Biden’s son, Hunter, was found guilty of all three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm while under the influence of an illegal drug.
