Senate Democrats announce slowdown of business in response to Comey's ouster

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post



By Ed O'Keefe and Elise Viebeck May 10 at 11:10 AM

Capitol Hill was roiled Wednesday by the aftershocks of President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James B. Comey, as Senate Democrats began the process of slowing committee business and renewed calls for an independent investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Democrats invoked an obscure Senate rule that prevents committee hearings from lasting more than two hours after the Senate convenes. The move will cause Wednesday’s committee business — including nomination hearings for three deputies to Attorney General Jeff Sessions — to shut down around lunchtime.

“If there was ever a time when circumstances warranted a special prosecutor, it is right now,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) accused Democrats of hypocrisy and opposed their calls for a new investigation into Trump associates’ potential ties to Russia.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/after-comeys-ouster-democrats-press-for-independent-probe-of-russias-meddling-in-election/2017/05/10/88c45624-3529-11e7-b373-418f6849a004_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_comeyhill-630a%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.c8fdeddfa752

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. No judicial appointments. tRump is in the last year of his Presidency. . . nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. that affects the Intelligence Committee hearings also, tho.

Of course, depending on how the procedure works, you might could hold a 2 hour hearing, then adjourn
and then start another 2 hour hearing 5 minutes after the adjournment.

[Freethinker65]

2. To a crawl

[Stonepounder]

3. It seems to me that there is also a rule that much of the routine business of the Senate

is passed by 'unanimous consent'. However if a Senator 'objects' then a full Roll Call vote is required. So the Dems could really bring the Senate to a grinding halt by objecting to every 'unanimous consent'.

So, unless McConnell wants to toss out the entire rule book, the Dems could stop the Govt in its tracks. Talk about your 'Nuclear Option'.

Now, as someone else here on DU commented, I've got to contact my broker and buy some more stock in popcorn companies.

[defacto7]

5. So, could the GOP nuke this obscure rule too?

But then the GOP members would miss lunch. Can't have that.

[cstanleytech]

8. In theory they can nuke just about anything that isnt set out in the Constitution

but its a risk because eventually they will lose control of the Senate as well as the House and then the Repugnants will reap what they have sown.

[lark]

6. Of course he did.

McTurtle covering his own ass and fuck America. Only the fuck America part has been integral to his dogma forever. Now with the criminal traitor in charge, and the investigation stopped, he feels free to be himself and thumb his nose in our faces.

[byronius]

7. The Murder Turtle is made angry by this. He can't even spend his Russian money in peace.