Posted on 11/29/2018 5:05:26 AM PST by Kaslin
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MI) won her runoff election last night over Democrat Mike Espy in Mississippi, so Republicans have a solid 53-47 majority. No longer will we have to deal with the Murkowski-Collins question when it come sot tight votes of judicial and Supreme Court nominations. We can run the table on paper, but we have a Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) problem. Yeah, Mr. Flake, the perpetual pain in the rear end of the Senate GOP, isn’t budging from his position of blocking Trump’s judicial nominees until a vote on a bill to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the Russia investigation is brought before the Senate floor.
His antics caused the Senate Judiciary Committee to cancel tomorrow’s hearing to advance 21 judicial nominees. Flake is the deciding vote on that committee, and he’s starting to annoy the hell out of his Republican colleagues. Efforts to appease him seem to be a fool’s errand as binding legislation to protect Mueller is the only thing that will cause him to reverse course on his obstructionism over judicial nominees (via Politico):
The Senate Judiciary Committee cancelled a Thursday hearing on judicial nominees as Jeff Flake’s stand for a bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller continues to wreak havoc in the lame duck session.
The panel was scheduled to advance six Circuit Court nominees, 15 District Court nominees and several bipartisan bills on Thursday to prepare them for possible floor action over the next month. But Flake, who is retiring at the end of this year, is holding firm to his vow to vote against judicial nominees on the floor and in committee unless Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) schedules a vote on the bipartisan special counsel legislation.
Flake and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) attempted to bring up the bill on Wednesday and were blocked by Republicans that oppose it. Relatedly, Flake voted against Thomas Farr’s nomination to be a District Court judge on Wednesday afternoon, forcing Vice President Mike Pence to break a tie after wavering Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) voted to advance Farr.
Flake’s blockade is annoying senior Republicans by slowing down confirmation of conservative judges in the narrowly divided Senate. But Flake’s tactics have been effective because Republicans have a one-seat majority on the Judiciary Committee and control just 51 votes in the Senate, so he could have tagged some nominees with an “unfavorable” recommendation if Democrats unanimously opposed them.
For those who think Jeff Flake would have won in Arizona, let me remind you that his popularity in is state is straight trash, he barely won his 2012 race, and he most likely would have been picked off in a primary. Jeff Flake cannot leave the Senate soon enough. Oh, and Flake and the late John McCain’s squishy antics seemed to have depressed Arizona GOP enthusiasm, so there’s that aspect. If Flake wants to run in 2020, and there’s some speculation that he’s considering it, he better be prepared to be ripped apart by angry conservatives for going out of his way to torpedo the Republican agenda on the Hill to spite Trump. Oh, and to be speaking to the handful of people who show up at his low energy rallies. Get lost, dude.
Flake is causing problems now for GOP and is not buckling. Hearing on 21 lifetime noms cancelled over his judicial blockade https://t.co/9gaYu4eBlB— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) November 28, 2018
With Flake holding firm in pursuing Mueller protection, Senate Judiciary cancels Thursday hearing on advancing more judicial nominees. Leaders are whipping Mueller bill to see if they can change his mind— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) November 28, 2018
The po boy has been a basket case ever since his testicles fell off.
Cant they just be put out to the full Senate instead?
this is why Republicans loose. to many idiots like this clown. voters get disgusted and will stay home. meanwhile, the Democrat voters will vote for any hack, pervert and-or criminal with a “D” after his name. then factor in promises of free-stuff!, vote-fraud and outright election stealing, the dems are indeed on the way to their permanent majority.
I mentioned this last night on another thread about Flake in that he kind of reminds me of that guy at the office party in the movie “Die Hard” who starts singing like a bird later in the movie to Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and nearly screws the whole thing up for John McClane.
Hey Flake,how much $$$ does it take to sell out the country and justice?
Jeff comes from a long line of Flakes.
Gee, watta darn shame.
All McConnell has to do is yank Snow Flake off the committee and replace him with an actual Republican.
He’s gone in just over a month.
This pussy is auditioning for a CNN job of resident dumbass.
To go along with sommany other dumbasses there.
I am deeply saddened, as an Arizonan, that our state was conned into voting for this Flake, and in keeping the Deep State operative, John McCain, in office for so long.
They have been and Flake is, doing enormous harm to the United States.
Declass the FISA doc. and throw em all in jail.
Yes, he’ll be CNN’s pet “conservative,” trotted out to give “credibility” to their attacks on Trump. The mediot queens will stroke his hair and purr about how mean Trump was to him.
As for trying to primary Trump in 2020......Go ahead, Flakey. You must enjoy public humiliation.
Let Romney know early and often how much GOP obstruction on Trump judicial appointments are despised by the base.
Holding good judges hostage to get own way.
It seems to me the bill he is demanding is unconstitutional. I sure as hell wouldn’t want there to be someone holding that kind of power who could not be dispatched when it ultimately gets out of hand.
The article omitted one important fact: The Mueller bill is unconstitutional. So sayeth SCOTUS precedent.
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