McConnell withdraws Trump judicial pick minutes before vote

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Thursday, July 19 2018
AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a surprise move, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has withdrawn one of President Donald Trump's judicial nominees just minutes before he was set for a confirmation vote.

McConnell announced Thursday on the Senate floor that he was pulling the nomination of Ryan Bounds. Trump had nominated the assistant U.S. attorney in Oregon to be a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The withdrawal of the nomination is a blow to the White House. Judicial nominations are rarely pulled back at such a late stage in the process unless a nominee does not have the support to pass.

The two senators from Bounds' home state, Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, had objected to the nomination and protested his confirmation in speeches on the Senate floor.

Read more: http://www.wbal.com/article/325851/132/mcconnell-withdraws-trump-judicial-pick-minutes-before-vote

---

(Short article, no more at link.)

[pbmus]

1. McConnell got the word....the chanting of USA on the house floor

Will reverberate around America....

[trueblue2007]

4. Trumps nominee is a horrible man. OREGON THANKS OUR SENATOR AND CONGRESSMAN !!

[Judi Lynn]

2. McConnell cancels vote on Trump judicial nominee over concerns that the nominee is racist

Dragons can be defeated.
IAN MILLHISER
JUL 19, 2018, 3:36 PM



UNITED STATES - MAY 9: RYAN WESLEY BOUNDS, NOMINEE FOR UNITED STATES CIRCUIT JUDGE FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT, TESTIFIES DURING HIS SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CONFIRMATION HEARING IN DIRKSEN BUILDING ON MAY 9, 2018. (PHOTO BY TOM WILLIAMS/CQ ROLL CALL)


Ryan Bounds, a Trump nominee to join the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, was supposed to receive a confirmation vote on Thursday. That’s not happening anymore.

Bounds, who currently serves as a federal prosecutor, wrote several pieces for the Stanford Review while he was an undergraduate where he mocked “the Multiculturalistas,” and compared minority interest groups at Stanford to an “Aryan Student Union.”

“Race-focused groups foster racethink,” he wrote in one such column, according to a report by the liberal Alliance for Justice, “and the only way to rid our multicultural community of race-think is to rid it of these invidious factions.” Bounds also claimed that these groups’ “tactics seem always to contribute more to restricting consciousness, aggravating intolerance, and pigeonholing cultural identities than many a Nazi bookburning.”

For the moment, it appears that Bounds’ nomination is dead. Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) reportedly announced that the “nomination will be withdrawn.”

More:
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-nominee-racist-727edfddd507/

[oberliner]

3. GOP Sen. Tim Scott Sinks Trump Nominee Over Past Racist Writings

In an extremely rare move on Thursday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) withdrew a circuit court judge nomination after Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) indicated that he would not vote for the nominee.

According to a GOP source familiar with the matter, Scott, the only black Republican senator, raised concerns to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) about Ryan Bounds’ college writings which allegedly included racially charged comments.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-sen-tim-scott-tanks-trump-nominee-over-past-racist-remarks

[onenote]

5. My understanding is that Tim Scott tanked Bounds' nomination

Scott, the only African-American Republican senator, reportedly went to McConnell and said that racist statements made by Bounds when he was in college were an issue and that he (Scott) wasn't prepared to support. It is likely that with Scott backing away, one or two other Repubs might also have wanted out from having to vote, so the nomination was killed.

[riversedge]

26. yes, that is how I read it also. with McCain out, repugs only have a 50-49 majority

[onenote]

27. If all of the other repubs voted aye and scott had abstained,

they could have pushed it through with Pence casting the tie-breaker. But the problem was that Scott may have been leaning towards voting no rather abstaining. And even by just abstaining, he put pressure on some other Repubs, like Collins, not to support the nominee.

[swag]

6. Hats off to Wyden and Merkley

How it’s done. Hats off to Wyden and Merkley. https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/07/senate_majority_leader_withdra.html

[leftieNanner]

13. My Senators

I love how they have been so fearless in calling out these creeps.

They are very accessible in our state - holding a town hall in every county every year.

Unlike my asshole congressman Greg Walden who has no published schedule, avoids the little blue section of his district like the plague, and only holds "public" events in safe spaces. Good grief but I hope we can boot him this year! I'm working on his awesome Dem opponent's campaign.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

25. Hello Oregonian

Yes, your senators are fearless. It was Jeff Merkley that brought America's attention to the children being detained in cages in deplorable conditions in that Texas facility. I had no idea this was even going on until I saw him on telly in front of that awful place holding a news conference after they denied him entry. He was the first Congressman to shine a light on that. We should all thank him for his tenacity.

[pansypoo53219]

28. in WI. but i always like wyden.

[leftieNanner]

34. I met him at his last town hall

in my city. Very smart man.

[dalton99a]

7. Other things Ryan Bounds wrote about minorities and rape victims:

Donald Trump nominated Bounds, who currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney, to the 9th Circuit in September. A staunch conservative, immigration hardliner, and member of the Federalist Society, Bounds appeared to be coasting to an easy confirmation until the liberal group Alliance for Justice uncovered bigoted statements he made as a Stanford student in the 1990s. Among other inflammatory claims, Bounds wrote that:

• multicultural groups on campus “divide up by race for their feel-good ethnic hoedowns.”

• “race-focused groups” should be abolished, as the “existence of ethnic organizations is no inevitable prerequisite to maintaining a diverse community—white students, after all, seem to be doing all right without an Aryan Student Union.”

• “strident racial factions in the student body … seem always to contribute more to restricting consciousness, aggravating intolerance, and pigeonholing cultural identities than many a Nazi bookburning.”

• some campus communities think that the “opponent” is “the white male and his coterie of meanspirited lackeys: ‘oreos,’ ‘twinkies,’ ‘coconuts,’ and the like.”

• “Expelling students [found guilty of rape] is probably not going to contribute a great deal toward a rape victim’s recovery; there is no moral imperative to risk egregious error in doing so.”

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/07/republican-senator-tim-scott-sinks-donald-trumps-nomination-of-ryan-bounds.html

[lagomorph777]

8. Ryan is really out of bounds.

Too nutso even for McTurtle!

[leftieNanner]

14. Oh no!

McTurtle was just fine with him. It was Tim Scott who ultimately trashed the nomination.

For Mitch's nominees, the skankier the better!

[PatSeg]

12. "Expelling students [found guilty of rape]

is probably not going to contribute a great deal toward a rape victim’s recovery; there is no moral imperative to risk egregious error in doing so.”

Seriously???

[LakeArenal]

16. Yea cuz having her rapist in her biology lab would not affect her.

[Ligyron]

24. Sure, 'cause forgiveness is imperative for citizens of a christian nation.

She might want to demonstrate this to Jesus by asking her assailant to be her lab partner.

just in case.

[ProfessorGAC]

32. Especially Since That Drone. . .

. . .specifically wrote "found GUILTY of rape."

Not an allegation. Guilty of an egregious felony. This moron thinks that's not enough reason to be expelled?!?

[Honeycombe8]

9. How odd. I guess they didn't have the votes. nt

[SummerSnow]

10. next tweet...Trump goes after McConnell

[wiley]

23. Nope. Republicans are not happy in SC at all.

Going to be a lot of fun! https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/trump-endorses-brian-kemp-georgia-gop-gov-race/tetDfwPkq5Re7FDO4WqOwL/

[Bonhomme Richard]

11. McConnell is a Dick and I'll bet he is just .....

playing hardball with someone and Bounds is a pawn in it.
Not a fucking chance that he is just doing the right thing.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

15. I agree.

No way would the chinless obstructer withdraw someone for being a misogynist, racist scumbag.

[ailsagirl]

18. No-- never in a million years

[ailsagirl]

17. Anything that's a blow to the WH is fine with me

[sandensea]

19. Let me guess:

Gay rumors.

It's usually the only thing that deep-sixes GOP judicial nominations.

[geretogo]

20. Many thanks to my two Senators .

[BumRushDaShow]

21. "Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, had objected" - Must have been the blue slip issue

Which the GOP has suddenly wanted to get rid of despite using it massively against Obama's picks.

If Turtle had allowed the nomination to go to the floor over Wyden & Merkley's blue slip objection, it would be first time in the history of the use of this tool, when the objecting Senators' wishes were ignored -

Senate Dems protest vote on controversial court pick
By Jordain Carney - 07/17/18 09:50 PM EDT

<...>

So far the Senate has confirmed two nominees where one senator did not return a blue slip since the start of the Trump administration. But Bounds would be the first appeals court nominee to be confirmed by the GOP-controlled Congress even though neither home-state senator returned their blue slip.

Democrats noted on Tuesday night that he would also be the first appeals court nominee in the history of the blue slip to be confirmed over the objection of both home-state senators.

"I am deeply concerned that the 9th Circuit nominee now on the Senate floor will be receiving a vote despite not having a blue slip from either home-state senator. ... We have said there should be a blue slip. There is no blue slip in this case," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), a member of the Judiciary Committee. She added that Bounds "will be the first judge in history to be appointed to the federal bench without a blue slip from either senator from his home state."

Republicans have worked to confirm Trump's picks for the appeals court at a record pace. They're expected to set a new record this week for the number of circuit court nominees confirmed during a president's first two years.

Democrats warned on Tuesday night that the move by Republicans would guarantee that they would not be able to block circuit court nominees from their own states when Democrats are back in the majority. "When the day comes when we have a Democratic president ... Republicans are going to regret that they threw their own blue-slip rights away," Whitehouse said.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/397571-dems-protest-vote-on-court-pick-despite-objection-of-home-state-senators

This tradition goes back at least a century. Here is a modern blank one -



If only Scott had objected, they still could have had enough votes (with Pence) to confirm him (by breaking a tie).

[shanny]

29. I think they have dumped the blue slip rule

now that it can be used against them.

And with McCain absent, it only takes ONE Senator to switch the vote from 50-49 for to 49-50 against. No tie for Pence to break, assuming all Ds hold firm. IOW we owe our thanks to Scott.

[BumRushDaShow]

31. They did supposedly "drop" it however

... there was the historical issue that I pointed out above that I think was factoring in. I.e., it would be the first time since the rule had been in place, that a nominee was moved forward under objection from both Senators of the state, so this was a test case too.

When you have red-state Democrats up for election this year who have been under threat, this nomination might have gone through for confirmation if any (D) abstained ("NV", i.e., "Not Voting" ).

[wiley]

22. Thank God we have a black Senator willing to stand up for America and against racism.

If Sen.Johnson (R) didn't object this abomination would have easily gone through. Really emphasizes what a cowardly, self hating piece of shirt Sen. Rubio of Florida is, no? I wish Merkley and Wyden had the ability to stop it. Now let's get on Heller to vote against Kavanaugh. Support Sen. Rosen in attacking the cowardly unprincipled Sen. Heller

[Bernardo de La Paz]

30. Note: Democratic Senators sunk the nomination. . . . nt

[ProfessorGAC]

33. Also Note:

McConnell pulled back the nomination, not because the guy was a tool, but because the R's would lose the vote.

Nothing noble. Just cynical political maneuvering.