Retiring Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake on Wednesday promised to pull his support for all the federal judicial nominees, unless the Senate’s GOP leadership allows review of legislation to increase protections for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s position, Fox News informed.
This unusual move by Flake, who is a potential challenger to President Trump in 2020, came right after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell prevented his effort to present the bill for consideration by unanimous consent, which requires the approval of 100 senators.
McConnell stated that the legislation, which was also supported by the Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, is unnecessary due to the fact that Trump has not made any suggestions of firing Mueller.
“Sen. Coons and I are prepared to make it again and again until there is a vote on this vital, bipartisan legislation on the Senate floor,” Flake said in a speech just weeks before his imminent retirement. “And I have informed the majority leader I will not vote to advance any of the 21 judicial nominees pending in the Judiciary Committee or vote to confirm the 32 judges awaiting confirmation on the Senate Floor until S. 2644 is brought to the full Senate for a vote. We have been told that the bill … is not necessary, as there have been no indications that the independence of Mr. Mueller’s investigation is in jeopardy. That may have been an arguable position before last week. But it is not arguable anymore.”
“With the firing of the attorney general … the president now has this investigation in his sights and we all know it,” he continued. “How such an investigation can be the cause of controversy is beyond me. … Presidents do not get to determine what gets investigated and what and who does not,” he added.
This threat was not the first one from Flake, who will be replaced by Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. In June, he told ABC News that he was considering using judicial nominees as leverage over trade policy.
Flake was also a key vote for the confirmation of the Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and he is the swing vote on the Judiciary Committee, where Republicans hold a slim 11-10 majority.
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