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Republican Senators Lay Siege to Biden Court Nominations

June 14, 2024

A coalition of Republican senators are vowing to blockade Democratic President Joe Biden’s nominees to any post requiring congressional confirmation, in response to the president’s lawfare campaign against presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) is leading the effort, alongside Mike Lee (R-Utah), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). The five legislators issued a statement Thursday, writing, “In a continuing response to the current administration’s persecution of President Donald Trump, we will not allow the fast-tracking of any Biden Article III court judicial nominees, as well as Biden U.S. attorney nominations.”

They continued, “Further, we 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,” the senators wrote. “Every signer is pledged to defend against attempts to fast-track the confirmation of Biden nominees. This will be accomplished through a joint effort and not be reliant upon a single Member’s willingness to hold every nominee.”

“This complement to the pledge of May 31 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 declared, referring to an effort led by Lee the day after Trump was convicted in a Manhattan trial that has been described as a “sham.”

“As a Senate Republican conference, we are unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart,” the May pledge reads. “To that end, we will not 1) allow any increase to non-security related funding for this administration, or any appropriations bill which funds partisan lawfare; 2) vote to confirm this administration’s political and judicial appointees; and 3) allow expedited consideration and passage of Democrat legislation or authorities that are not directly relevant to the safety of the American people.”

As of June 5, that pledge had been signed by Lee, Vance, Marshall, and Tuberville, as well as Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Eric Schmitt (R-Miss.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).

FRC Action Director Matt Carpenter applauded the move in comments to The Washington Stand. “For the millions of Americans who treasure our constitutional guarantee for an impartial jury and value the rule of law, what happened to former President Trump in Manhattan is an unprecedented weaponization of the legal process. Those millions of Americans expect Republicans in Congress to use all available leverage to jam up the Biden administration’s ability to further weaponize the legal system and law enforcement. Good for Senators Vance, Hagerty, Tuberville, Lee, and Marshall for standing up for the Constitution and the rule of law.”

The results of the Manhattan trial late last month galvanized the Republican Party, yielding tens of millions of dollars in donations to the former president’s campaign and inspiring Republican legislators to take a firmer stance against the Biden administration’s political weaponization of the justice system. Trump himself met with Republican senators on Thursday and proclaimed, “This is an outstanding group of people. I’m with them 1,000%, they’re with me 1,000%.”

S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.



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