Finally: Jeff Sessions Confirmed As Attorney General (Liberal Tears Flow Again)
See video of confirmation vote here: http://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2017/02/08/sessions-vote-n2283286
Sessions' nomination was to be voted on first after getting the nod by the Senate Judiciary Committee, but Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins (R-ME) decided to break ranks from the GOP on Betsy DeVos’ nomination to be education secretary.Her nomination also passed the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on a 12-11 party line vote. That forced her nomination to be pushed up on the docket.
The Senate GOP needed Sessions’ vote, as the vote on DeVos was 50-50. Vice President Mike Pence who cast the deciding vote, a first in U.S. history, eventually broke the tie.
Sessions and DeVos were seen as some of President Donald Trump’s most controversial nominees. A larger fight would have occurred if it weren’t for former Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) nuking the filibuster rules for non-Supreme Court presidential nominees, which allowed cloture to be invoked and nominees confirmed by a simple majority. No doubt that both of these nominees would have been filibustered by Senate Democrats. Given how the :Eft reacted to DeVos' confirmation, expect the liberal tears to flow again with Sessions.
So, I guess we should say thank you, Harry Reid.