Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) did an about-face Monday and joined his caucus in an attempt to halt a Senate vote on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.
Leahy had been clear that he opposes Gorsuch’s ascendancy to the court. What’s new is his support for the parliamentary move to try to stop the Senate from voting on President Donald Trump’s nominee.
“I am not inclined to filibuster,” Leahy told VTDigger.org last week, “even though I’m not inclined to vote for him.”
He said otherwise during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Monday. “I will not support advancing this nomination,” Leahy declared — which is to say he now is inclined to filibuster.
Under a Democratic filibuster, Republicans, who hold 52 of the 100 Senate seats, would need 60 votes to let Gorsuch’s nomination proceed.
Fellow Senate Democrats needed Leahy’s support to reach the filibuster-able number of 41, so the senior Vermont senator no doubt got pressure from the caucus leadership to go along. When he came into the fold, Leahy did so with gusto.
“Perhaps no member sounded as aggrieved as Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont and the Senate’s longest-serving member,” the New York Times reported Monday.
“This nominee has since refused to address any substantive issues during his testimony,” Leahy said during Monday’s committee hearing. “He has left this committee and the American people with only unresolved concerns.”
Leahy later cast a vote against Gorsuch’s nomination, but the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-9 to advance it.
The senior Vermont senator’s willingness to filibuster might turn out to be just as ineffective as his committee vote, however. The Republican Senate majority is looking to change the Senate rules so that they need a simple majority rather than 60 votes to approve a Supreme Court nomination.
Leahy accused Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of seeking to confirm Trump’s choice “even if that means forever damaging the Senate.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has also said he’ll join Democrats in a filibuster.
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Leahy’s growing irrelevancy is heartening.
Too bad he wasn’t as diligent in stopping the F-35’s coming to Vermont instead of welcoming them with open arms and NOT LISTENING to the thousand of neighborhood voices who are concerned with noise, environment and safety issues….
Leahy shouldn’t even be a senator..far as I’m concerned, Leahy, Sanders and Welch are putting Vermont and our country at risk by allowing illegals into our country and Vermont..
He said I am not inclined to filibuster, Leahy told VTDigger.org last week, even though Im not inclined to vote for him. Wow what a 2 face.. Just like the fiasco of EB-5 Q Burke Mountain Resort..Leahy thought this was such a great idea..then when everything came out about the massive fraud there, he back paddled.. All the politicians share blame for this fiasco, every single one of them are 2 faced..
Gorsuch was confirmed by unanimous voice vote in the U.S. Senate in 2006 to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ..Leahy voted for him..all the democrats thought he was well qualified for the position..he was nominated by President George W. Bush..Now because the crybabies democrats didn’t win the election, they are against Gorsuch because now Leahy and the rest of the idiots say he isn’t qualified ..Talk about talking out your butt because your mouth knows better..They are doing this because Gorsuch isn’t a liberal democrat..and you know that’s the damn truth.. Leahy. Sanders and Welch don’t care about this country, they don’t care about the people they are suppose to represent , if they did they would work with President Trump..they only care about getting their palms greased ..