Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley canceled panel votes scheduled for Thursday on 25 executive and judicial nominations.
The Iowa Republican announced the cancellation late Wednesday, after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., blocked an effort by Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Chris Coons, D-Del., to bring up a bill that would prevent President Trump from firing special counsel Robert Mueller.
Flake is a member of the Judiciary panel, which is comprised of 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats. Flake said he would not vote for any judicial nominees until the Senate votes on the Mueller protection bill. As of Wednesday, that hasn’t happened.
Flake’s refusal to support any of the pending judicial nominees dooms them to a 10-10 Judiciary panel vote, which would prevent Grassley from reporting them to the Senate floor.
McConnell, however, can elect to bring up any of the nominees regardless, but he has not yet signaled whether he will take that action.
Thursday’s votes were to advance 22 judicial nominations and three executive branch nominees.
