Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Texas Sen. Cornyn Blocks Clinton's State Confirmation

The confirmation of Hillary Clinton to be secretary of state will be held up for at least a day due to the objection of a single senator. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he wants "a full and open debate" about possible conflicts of interest from Bill Clinton's charitable foundation's acceptance of donations from foreign countries and companies.

If Cornyn blocks a unanimous consent floor voice vote, there will be a roll call vote Wednesday or Thursday which will give several Republican Senators an opportunity to go on record with a "ney" vote. Some Republicans likely see a "ney" vote on Clinton's confirmation as an "accomplishment" that they can tout to their base during the next election cycle.

Cornyn has also joined with other Senate Republicans to hold for one week the confirmation vote on Attorney General designate Eric Holder. Sen. Cornyn and Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania are seeking more information on whether Holder would pursue criminal prosecutions of "intelligence personnel" involved in interrogations after he said last week that water boarding is torture.

Related Postings:

No comments:

Post a Comment