This Just in: John Cornyn is still a douchebag
Senate Republicans Delay Vote on Holder Nomination
Jan. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Senate Republicans forced a one-week delay in the Judiciary Committee’s vote on Eric Holder’s nomination to be President Barack Obama’s attorney general.
Republicans complained that the nominee has yet to answer all their follow-up questions about his Jan. 15 testimony, particularly regarding his views on possible prosecution of intelligence agents who used harsh tactics to question suspected terrorists or Bush administration officials who authorized the methods.
Holder testified that waterboarding, a technique the CIA used to simulate drowning in questioning three suspected al- Qaeda operatives, is a form of torture. Texas Republican John Cornyn said Holder was ambiguous about whether he would seek to prosecute intelligence agents or those who sanctioned the interrogation methods.
“This is a really critical position with so many enormous questions hanging out there,” Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter told reporters after he sought the delay on behalf of his Republican colleagues. Holder’s testimony raises “big, big issues, which need to be explored in real depth,” he said.
Specter said he planned to meet tomorrow with Holder in his Senate office to discuss some of the unanswered questions.
The panel’s chairman, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, voiced frustration at the delay, saying Holder has “met every confirmation standard.” The need for new leadership at the Justice Department “has never been greater,” he said.
Controversial Pardon
Republican lawmakers said they are also still concerned over Holder’s role in the 2001 pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich. Holder has expressed regret for not opposing the pardon, which President Bill Clinton granted on his last day in office.
Cornyn told reporters that Holder’s testimony on torture raises concerns about how he “would treat intelligence officials who relied in good faith” on Justice Department legal opinions that let them “collect actionable intelligence within the limits of the law.”
Cornyn questioned whether Holder “would somehow change where that line has been drawn and thus expose these intelligence officials to liability.” Of greater concern, he said, is whether any policy change “would cause intelligence officials in the future to be risk averse and not collect intelligence that could well save lives.”
Filip Appointed
Mark Filip, deputy attorney general under former President George W. Bush, has been appointed acting attorney general until Holder’s nomination is resolved. Filip resigned his federal judgeship in Chicago to take the No. 2 Justice Department job under former Attorney General Michael Mukasey.
Holder didn’t rule out prosecuting officials who drafted legal opinions about interrogations or otherwise authorized what the Bush administration called “enhanced interrogation techniques.” Holder testified that the Obama administration wouldn’t try to “criminalize policy differences” with the Bush administration.
The committee vote on Holder scheduled for this morning was initially postponed because of a scheduling conflict as Leahy tried to hold it this afternoon.
Under committee rules, any Republican senator can ask for a one-week delay in a vote on a nomination or legislation.
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So, is Cornyn going to do to Holder what he did with Hillary Clinton's nomination: Whine and bitch and moan like a baby and then in the end vote for confirmation? Big John and his hard-on for the idiotic ticking clock scenario...I can't believe he's willing to stand up on the Senate floor and without a hint of irony announce to the world he's basically pro-torture. Also, all of these obstructionist theatrics are just a fundraising ploy since he's the chair of the Republican Senatorial Committee. I would love it if after all his bullshit the Republicans actually lose more seats in 2010!