Jeff Flake Says He Wouldn’t Be Blocking Trump’s Judicial Nominees if He Wasn’t Retiring

Outgoing Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) admitted on CNN today that he would not be opposing President Donald Trump’s judicial appointments if he was not retiring at the end of his term.

After CNN host Poppy Harlow brought up Flake saying, “I couldn’t have done this, I couldn’t have reached across the aisle if I were running again” — in reference to his push for Congress to pass bipartisan protection for the special counsel against an attempted removal of Robert Mueller by Trump — Flake said his sentiment still rings “true.”

“Could you have done this with the judges if you were running again, senator?” Harlow asked.

“Probably not. But it’s not that it shouldn’t be done,” Flake responded. “I just felt it was important to do. You have to take a stand, and we’ve got to protect the special counsel. We don’t want to the provoke a constitutional crisis. I think it’s for the good of the country. I really do.”

Earlier in the segment, Flake noted that “confirming judges is important,” but stressed the “need to protect the special counsel.”

“This has to be priority now, and you have to take a stand,” Flake said. “And I have leverage, because we have a narrow majority on the Judiciary Committee, and so I’m using it. You use leverage to get votes to the floor that should be on the floor.”

Watch above, via CNN.

[image via screengrab]

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