
Durbin obstruction threat chills Senate as Trump nominees hang in balance
Fox News
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin doubled down on his decision to block a Trump Department of Justice nominee from Florida and is threatening further obstruction.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.
Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is blocking the nomination of Jason Reding Quinones, Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of Florida. Durbin also recently threatened to obstruct more of Trump’s picks to lead the DOJ’s 93 U.S. attorney’s offices.
Durbin's threat loomed over the committee hearing, which featured five of Trump's nominees to fill federal judge positions. The Illinois Democrat attributed his blockade to Vice President JD Vance announcing a hold on DOJ nominees in 2023. Vance, then a senator, said he would not lift his hold on nominees until then-Attorney General Merrick Garland stopped "going after his political opponents," a reference to the two federal prosecutions of Trump.













