Mukasey Nomination Moves to Full Senate
The nomination of Michael Mukasey to become attorney general has been sent to the full Senate on an 11-8 vote of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Two Democrats on the committee joined nine Republicans to vote in favor of Mukasey. The action virtually assures his confirmation, the New York Times reports.
Democratic senators Charles Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California provided the needed votes. Eight Democrats voted against Mukasey in part because of concerns about his refusal to say whether waterboarding constituted illegal torture.
Feinstein explained her vote by saying she believed Mukasey would be more independent than his predecessor, Alberto Gonzales, the Washington Post reports. A protester who shouted “shame on you” as she tried to speak was escorted from the hearing room.
“Mukasey, in my view, is going to be a very different attorney general,” Feinstein said. “It’s not going to be business as usual at the Department of Justice.”
