Straight Senate logistics here…..
First off?
This IS a Republican ONLY thing….
The Trump Federal judge picks cannot clear the Judical Committee since there is a 11-10 breakdown of GOPer’s vs Dem’s…So Flake could actually join Democrats and table the whole list Trump has up for confirmation…
Senate Majority leader McConnell has the votes for confirmation in the Senate which just requires simple majority….The GOPer’s have a 51 tp 49 advantage that will grow to 53-47 in January…
Flake wants a vote on something from Congress to protect Special Counsel Mueller….
President Trump and Senate Republicans’ efforts to swiftly confirm conservative judges to federal courts across the country hit a speed bump on Wednesday after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley canceled panel votes set for Thursday on almost two dozen judicial nominations.
The backdrop: The cancellation comes amid a standoff with retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who is holding firm on his pledge to oppose Trump’s judicial nominees unless Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell schedules a vote on a bipartisan measure to protect the special counsel Robert Mueller. Republicans blocked a vote on the measure Wednesday.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the only black member of the Senate Republican Conference (and the first since Edward Brooke of Massachusetts), hesitated about supporting cloture on Thomas Farr’s confirmation, but ended up providing the 50th vote that allowed VP Pence to cast the deciding vote.
However, Sen. Scott has not yet said positively that he would vote Aye when the confirmation vote is held on Thursday.
The concept that Republicans are keep rowing together in the Senate IS gonna get testing…..
If just a few Republican Senator’s STILL stick together to mess with McConnell?
They will again cause the Senate Majority leader headaches…
I think McConnell is up for re-election in 2020?