On Tuesday, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) announced that it would hold Department of Justice (DOJ) nominees effective the same day. The decision follows the unprecedented indictment of former and potentially future President Donald Trump, who was also impeached in Miami on Tuesday for using secret documents. In a press release, Vance called the case an “unprecedented political prosecution.”
“Donald Trump is simply the latest victim of a Justice Department that cares more about politics than law enforcement. Merrick Garland’s department harasses Christians for being pro-life, but allows hardened criminals to walk our streets unpunished. This must end and I will do everything in my power to make it happen,” Vance said in a statement. “Starting today, I will hold all Department of Justice appointments. If Merrick Garland seeks to use these officials to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents, we will stop his department.”
Vance isn’t just concerned about Trump’s targeting. As Vance’s statement and press release allude to, the Justice Department has selectively targeted Christian pro-life activists. One iconic example was the arrest of Mark Houck, a husband and father of seven, last September while SWAT teams entered his home in the early morning hours, terrifying his wife and children. In January, he was found not guilty under the Free Access to Clinical Entrance (FACE) Act. charges brought against him, which were previously dismissed by the local prosecutor’s office.
All this while the Department of Justice largely ignores violent pro-abortion extremists who aimed pro-life organizations and churches since someone leaked the draft Dobbs v. Jackson The decision was made in May last year. The Justice Department also failed to properly defend the U.S. Supreme Court justices who were targeted, which was met with bulky criticism.
The FBI even considered infiltrating Catholic churches, and as a result, he and the Justice Department are facing a lawsuit.
How – noted POLITICO on lockdowns Vance does not sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, so his actions will take place on the Senate floor.
Vance isn’t the only one looking to stigmatize candidates to express his concerns with the Biden administration. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) is holding up defense nominees over the Pentagon’s illegal abortion policy.
These holdings were also of a cross-party nature, as it just came to delicate that Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) of the U.S. Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will oppose the NIH nominee until President Joe Biden unveils a drug pricing plan. Chairman Joe Manchin (D-WV) of the U.S. Senate Committee ON Energy and Natural Resources is also the opposite Nominated by the EPA.
As Vance’s press release noted, withholding nominations means they cannot be approved unanimously. Instead, a full Senate vote will be necessary:
- Senator Vance’s hold on Department of Justice nominations will not apply to nominees to the United States Marshals Service
- Retaining Senator Vance will prevent the Senate from quickly confirming President Biden’s nominees by unanimous consent, as is often done in the Senate. Instead, Justice Department nominations will require a supermajority vote to be confirmed by the Senate, which could make it more hard to confirm those nominations.
Vance endorsed Trump for president in January of this year. Trump endorsed Vance in Ohio’s crowded Republican primary last April, which resulted in Vance’s popularity rising in the polls. He ultimately won the nomination and defeated former Republican Tim Ryan (D-OH), replacing then-Senator Rob Portman, a retiring GOP senator.
The senator also posted a video message on Twitter explaining his move. He explained that the decision came after he heard from others “that they were as frustrated as I am that Merrick Garland used the Department of Justice for political purposes rather than to legislate.” He added: “I think it’s time for us to stop complaining about this problem and debating it and actually do something about it.”
Vance also said Garland is using his candidates “clearly to harass his political opponents.” He explained that he would “stop this department until Merrick Garland promises to do his job and stop prosecuting his political opponents.”
As Vance also emphasized, “Donald Trump is just one and the latest example” of Merrick Garland using the Justice Department “for political purposes.”
He concluded by saying, “Let’s make this department run a little slower until Merrick Garland changes course and actually starts doing his job the right way.”
Until Merrick Garland stops using his agency to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents, I will detain all Justice Department nominees. pic.twitter.com/UVRwi6Ue01
— JD Vance (@JDVance1) June 13, 2023
