The Senate on Tuesday confirmed 107 of President Donald Trump's nominees -- including ambassadors Herschel Walker and Sergio Gor -- as the government shutdown entered its seventh day. The move, approved 51-47, came after Republicans changed Senate rules to bypass what they called a Democrat "confirmation blockade."
Key Details:
The confirmations included over two dozen ambassadorial appointments and more than a dozen U.S. Attorneys.
Among the notable confirmations were Sergio Gor as U.S. Ambassador to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs, and Herschel Walker as U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) celebrated the move on X, writing, "CONFIRMED: 107 Trump nominees en bloc... Senate business continues, even on day seven of the Schumer Shutdown."
Diving Deeper:
The U.S. Senate confirmed more than 100 of President Donald Trump's nominees on Tuesday, marking one of the largest single-day confirmation pushes of his administration -- and it came amid a weeklong government shutdown.
In a 51-47 vote, Senate Republicans approved 107 Trump nominees in one sweeping package after implementing a procedural rules change allowing for "en bloc" votes. The change, used when the majority party controls the chamber, lets the Senate confirm groups of nominees simultaneously instead of one at a time.
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Republicans framed the mass confirmations as a necessary response to what they described as a months-long blockade by Senate Democrats. "Before the government shutdown, Democrats shut down the Senate floor, freezing the confirmation process," said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) in a statement. "Today, we broke through that obstruction and delivered results for the American people."
The move followed similar action in September, when the Senate confirmed 48 Trump nominees. Tuesday's confirmations bring the total number of Trump administration appointments approved this fall to more than 150.
Semi-Related: A DOJ attorney and I'm sure a Straight-Arrow Ham-and-Egger is refusing to prosecute Big Tish James, claiming that she sees "no probable cause" for prosecution despite Big Tish signing multiple fraudulent mortgage applications and so far offering no defense or excuse for her actions.
A top Virginia prosecutor told her colleagues she will refuse to file charges against controversial New York Attorney General Letitia James. President Donald Trump has been pushing for James to face accountability for the lawfare she waged against him during the 2024 presidential election.
With no shortage of irony, it turns out evidence exists that James committed the same real estate fraud she alleged Trump engaged in. That is the very definition of hypocritical.
Elizabeth Yusi, who is in charge of major criminal prosecutions in the Norfolk office of the Eastern District of Virginia, told two of her co-workers that she does not see any probable cause that James committed mortgage fraud, two sources told MSNBC. Yusi will present her conclusion to the new interim U.S. attorney, Lindsey Halligan, over the course of the next several weeks.
In a mortgage fraud case, probable cause exists if someone knowingly files repeated false "primary residence" certifications to boost their odds of loan approval, and if lenders rely on those lies to offer better loan terms.
Is there really a lack of evidence against James, or is Yusi trying to protect her? We all know the left protects its own, practically at any cost.
MSNBC reported that Trump appointed Halligan two weeks after announcing he would fire acting U.S. attorney Erik Siebert, who also refused to pursue fraud charges against James, as well as other charges against former FBI Director James Comey. Siebert resigned on Sept. 19 after Trump informed him he'd be replaced.
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Prosecutors in the Eastern District office expect Halligan to fire Yusi for refusing Trump's request to go after James.