Claiming that Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland failed to answer questions regarding immigration, the death penalty and guns in written responses submitted by Senators, Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton announced that he will put a hold on the nomination, Politico reports.
“Ensuring the Senate has time to debate these issues and get answers is the same thing that Senate Democrats did for Bill Barr,” Cotton tweeted. “We’re not going to have one standard for Trump’s nominees and another for Biden’s.” None of Donald Trump’s nominees in 2017 were held up for such a reason.
Garland’s nomination was voted out of committee by all Democrats on the Judiciary committee along with Republican ranking member Chuck Grassley, allowing for a vote on the Senate floor to approve him. Garland’s nomination was largely praised by members of both Parties, with GOP leaders like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell saying he would vote for approval.
Cotton’s hold on the nomination will not stop the approval, but it could delay putting Garland at the top of the Department of Justice by a few days as Senate Majority Leader now needs to undertake a procedure to move past Cotton’s theatrics.