Hagel Votes Against Senate Oversight of US Attorney Appointments

Yesterday the Senate nearly unanimously passed S.214, “Preserving United States Attorney Independence Act of 2007.” The vote was 94-2, with only Republicans Chuck Hagel and Kit Bond voting against it. The bill removes the authority of the Attorney General, granted by the Patriot Act, to appoint US attorneys without confirmation from the Senate.

I haven’t been able to find any statements Hagel or articles that explain his vote. Hagel had previously said that he had lost confidence in Gonzales because of this scandal, but this vote suggests that he still wants Gonzalez to retain power to fill US attorney vacancies.

At bare minimum Hagel’s vote shows that he will use his office to support President Bush, even if it means opposing the overwhelming majority of his Republican cohorts in the Senate.

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Posted by Matt Browner Hamlin
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 7:37 am

4 Responses to “Hagel Votes Against Senate Oversight of US Attorney Appointments”

You have to admire Hagel’s vote on this one. He’s not supporting Bush or Gonzalez, he’s saying he doesn’t believe the appointment of US Attorneys should become political footballs in the same way judicial appointments have. I’m sure liberals and conservatives can agree the Congress has better things to do with its time than play gotcha and score political points with each and every US Attorney. Remember, this law applies to a President Barack Obama as well as President Bush. It’s politics as usual and I congratulate Hagel for demonstrating the courage to stand up to it.

Left by Dan
March 21, 2007 at 1:11pm

Um, where did Hagel say that? I haven’t seen any statement justifying this vote. You’re just projecting your wishes onto his actions.

If you think this attorney scandal is playing gotcha, you’re not paying attention. Outrage is bipartisan — hence a 94-2 vote.

Left by Matt Browner Hamlin
March 21, 2007 at 4:47pm

It was offered as an alternate suggestion. As in “this vote suggests that he still wants Gonzalez to retain power to fill US attorney vacancies.”

Since no statement has been issued, your suggestion carries as much weight as mine. My reasoning is that Hagel wants the Attorney General, whoever he or she may be and whatever party affiliation they may share, to retain that power. In addition, I never said the “scandal” is playing gotcha, I said the process of subjecting appointments to congressional approval was and will be.

Left by Dan
March 21, 2007 at 5:24pm

Except my suggestion is based in the fact that Hagel voted with President Bush’s agenda more than any other Republican in 2006. So it’s a theory based on the continuation of a trend; yours is pure speculation.

To be fair, neither holds much weight and it’s a shame that Hagel hasn’t explained his vote.

Left by Matt Browner Hamlin
March 21, 2007 at 9:57pm

Something to say?