Jeff Flake threatens to block judicial nominees until Mueller bill gets vote

Jeff Flake says he’ll block judicial nominees until Mueller protection bill gets a votehttps://www.vox.com/2018/11/14/18095703/jeff-flake-mueller-nominees?utm_campaign=vox&utm_content=chorus&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter …

Republican Sen. Jeff Flake said Wednesday that he won’t vote to confirm judicial nominees unless GOP leaders hold a vote on legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller from being fired.https://to.pbs.org/2z8xbtO 

Flake: "I have informed the Majority Leader that 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 a confirmation vote on the floor, until S. 2644 is brought to the full Senate for a vote."

Mitch McConnell just blocked a Senate vote on a bill to protect the Mueller investigation.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-14/mcconnell-blocks-senate-bill-protecting-mueller-investigation …

Flake takes action: He will not vote to confirm any judicial nominee that is already on Senate calendar, and will oppose any judicial nominee in committee, until the Mueller protection bill gets a vote. In 51-49 Senate, that can make McConnell life a tad more difficult.

They can only vote for those noms that have already made it out of committee and are awaiting confirmation from full Senate. And McConnell will need to tell Pence to stop traveling anywhere, so he can repeatedly break 50-50 ties. No more judicial noms can advance from committee.

Jeff Flake says Whitaker has expressed open hostility to the Mueller probe. “Why are we so sanguine about this?” “What will it take?”

"This is important, this should be a priority,” Flake says of legislation protecting the special counsel.

I know no one clicks the links and reads the stories so allow me to say this threat from Flake ain't nothin'. GOPers on Judiciary Committee have only a 1 vote majority so voting against advancing 21 judicial nominees in committee could be annoying for McConnell.https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/1062836165596889093 …

2/ That said, there are 32 judges awaiting a confirmation vote on the floor. Unless another GOP senator joins Flake in this boycott, @VP Pence can break the tie (during lame duck) and confirm all of them.

3/ McConnell's position is that Mueller doesn't need to be protected through legislation, and that Sessions being fired/Whitaker being appointed acting AG doesn't change that at all.

4/ McConnell today: "There's been no indication -- as you can imagine, I've talked to the president fairly often -- no indication that the Mueller investigation will not be allowed to finish. And it should be allowed to finish."

Jeff Flake is a more effective Democrat than he is a Republican. Thank God he's gone in Jan. Why would ANY Republican threaten conservative judges?https://twitter.com/pkcapitol/status/1062817968755752960 …

Flake had leverage on the tax bill and on Kavanaugh. He chose not to use it. Now he's essentially threatening a 7-week delay in confirming some lower court judges. Is that going to move McConnell? I hope so, but I doubt it.https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1062817838866534400 …