A group of Senate Republicans has pledged to block the fast-tracking of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees in response to the Biden administration’s “persecution” of former President Donald Trump.
The group, led by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), also includes Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Eric Schmitt (R-MO).
The senators wrote in a statement on Thursday that they “will not permit the fast-tracking of nominees who have suggested the Trump prosecutions were reasonable, endorsed President Trump’s guilt in these sham proceedings, joined or supported organizations that celebrated the indictment of President Trump, supported the ‘get-Trump’ candidacy of Alvin Bragg, or supported lawfare or censorship in other ways.”
“While it is not our intent to bring any single nominee into disrepute, if our rights are challenged on the floor of the U.S. Senate, we will prosecute a forceful public case using all the tools at our disposal,” they added.
“Democrats will just have to spend more time in committee or on the floor, moving people through, but I don’t think Republicans can really shut it down in any meaningful way,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia, in an interview with the Washington Examiner.
Thursday’s pledge is intended as a “complement” to a separate one circulated May 31 by Lee in which Republicans also indicated they would block any additional increase in nonsecurity-related funding requested by the Biden administration or “any appropriations bill which funds partisan lawfare.”
Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels last month.
The senators say the pledge will last until Election Day, “when the American people will have the opportunity to decisively reject attempts to settle political disputes through the legal system.”
The senators’ hold applies to dozens of nominees, according to a press release, including:
- Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, nominated to be the U.S. representative to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
- Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), nominated to be representative to the General Assembly of the United Nations.
- Surgeon General Vivek Murphy, nominated to be U.S. representative on the Board of the World Health Organization.
“A lot of these nominees are people, for example, that the White House agreed with home-state senators, especially in red states, both sides thought they were fine,” Tobias explained. “So, it’s disappointing in that way, for the nominees and I think even for the home-state senators as well.”
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The move resembles Tuberville’s monthslong blockade of senior military promotions over objections about the Pentagon’s abortion policy. The Alabama senator embraced this latest action in a post on X.
“Democrats have WEAPONIZED our Justice System to go after their top political opponent, President Trump. My colleagues and I will NOT ALLOW fast-tracking of Biden’s judicial and U.S. Attorney nominees until the American people make their voices heard on Election Day,” Tuberville posted.
