Vanita Gupta, whose nomination to be Associate Attorney General was being blocked by Senate Republicans for no apparent reason other than obstructionism, was confirmed by the Senate to fill the position after Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski defected, CNN reports.

Gupta becomes the first woman of color to take the senior position in the Justice Department, the third highest job after Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant AG Lisa Monaco.  Gupta has experience in the DoJ, having led the civil rights division during the Obama Administration.

Republicans claimed that Gupta was a “radical” nominee, although they could not point out to a specific radical act or statement other than her career supporting civil rights.  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Gupta had “a record of astoundingly radical positions.” although he could not detail anything radical.  Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn said it was because Gupta supported the legalization of drugs like cannabis.
“I asked her point blank, ‘Why do you want this? Is this worth it?’ Because this has clearly been very hard on her as a nominee,” Murkowski said. “And she paused and reflected a moment, and just spoke to how she feels called to serve in a very personal way that I thought was impactful.  I am going to give the benefit of the doubt to a woman who I believe has demonstrated throughout her professional career to be deeply, deeply committed to matters of justice.”

Murkowski’s sudden change of heart gave Gupta a 51-49 approval vote, negating the need for Vice President Kamala Harris to break an expected tie.