Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday rebuffed Democratic calls to slow down rapid confirmation of Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, even after a nonpartisan federal watchdog raised “great” concerns about moving ahead with hearings for nominees whose ethics reviews have not been completed.
(The “nonpartisan federal watchdog” would be Obama campaign donor and Obama appointee Walter Shaub. So, “nonpartisan” has a different meaning here.)
Senators have postponed the confirmation hearing for Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) to serve as CIA director by a day, according to Senate aides.
Pompeo will now meet with the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, moving him back from Wednesday, a day that was initially set to be packed with five simultaneous confirmation hearings.
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Given that pressure, the Senate health and education panel on late Monday announced it has postponed a confirmation hearing for DeVos to serve as education secretary until next Tuesday.
Whatever virtues McConnell might have as majority leader, competence, leadership ability, and political acumen are not among them. Why did he double down on adhering to a confirmation hearing schedule, telling the Democrats to “grow up,” and by Tuesday morning prove that Chuck Schumer has already thoroughly stump-broke him.
This is not a good omen for the upcoming legislative session. If Schumer can roll McConnell on something as simple and mundane as a confirmation schedule, making him look totally ridiculous in the process, there is really no hope for repealing Obamacare or confirming a non-progressive Supreme Court nominee.
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