Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) made it official on the Senate floor. He is putting a hold on all Trump DOJ nominees after Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared war on legal cannabis.
Video of Gardner announcing his plan to put a hold on all Trump DOJ nominees until he gets answers from Jeff Sessions:
.@SenCoryGardner on Attorney General Jeff Sessions' #marijuana policy change: "I will be holding all nominations for the Department of Justice. The people of Colorado deserve answers." pic.twitter.com/BnVEkA54ag
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 4, 2018
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Sen. Gardner also tweeted:
This reported action directly contradicts what Attorney General Sessions told me prior to his confirmation. With no prior notice to Congress, the Justice Department has trampled on the will of the voters in CO and other states.
— Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner) January 4, 2018
Gardner’s hold is no idle threat. There are several top positions in the DOJ that are vacant:
Given that DOJ doesn’t currently have a confirmed AAG for CRM, or CIV, or CRT, or NSD, this is not a minor threat if it continues for a long time https://t.co/30ltQmnagf
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) January 4, 2018
People of all political ideologies are outraged by Sessions’ actions because they amount to a prohibition on the legalized use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. This is not small government, as the Trump administration is rolling up states rights argument and setting it on fire.
Gardner’s threat shows that Republican Senators are capable of checking Trump if they want to. In those states where cannabis has been legalized for medical or recreational use, Republicans are caught between a rock and a hard place. Those who stand with Trump are risking their seats. Those who oppose the President will be deepening the divisions within their own party.
Attorney General Sessions’ war on pot was the second most damaging thing that he could do to Trump. The first was his recusal and the appointment of Robert Mueller as the Special Counsel to investigate the Russia scandal.
To all of those marijuana legalization advocates who argued that Trump and Clinton were the same in 2016, consider that none of this would be happening if Hillary Clinton was president right now. The past is the past, but in the future, it is wise to keep in mind that those who want you to believe that both sides are identical are often the same people who put into power will take away your rights.
Good for Cory Gardner for taking a stand on pot, now let’s see if his spine is strong enough to ask for the truth about the Russia scandal.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association