Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) revealed on Tuesday that he will support the confirmation of Judge Merrick Garland to serve as Attorney General in the Biden administration. Garland currently serves as the chief judge for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
“I do,” McConnell told Politico when asked about supporting Garland’s confirmation.
“I do” ***. But he declined to elaborate
— Marianne LeVine (@marianne_levine) February 23, 2021
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell intends to support the nomination of Merrick Garland to serve as attorney general, spokesperson confirms to @ABC News. https://t.co/yW1vlElbD3 pic.twitter.com/oEmm6yM1Ij
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 23, 2021
From colleague David Spunt. McConnell to vote to confirm Merrick Garland as AG
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) February 23, 2021
McConnell famously declined to hold a vote on Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court in 2016, in the final days of the Obama administration, in hopes that Republicans would take back the White House and nominate a conservative to the high court. A high-risk political move, McConnell called his decision to keep the seat vacated by the late Justice Antonin Scalia open "the most consequential thing" he had ever done.
McConnell’s support of Garland’s confirmation paves the way for approval by the Senate, and for Republicans to vote yes. The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on Garland's nomination on March 1, with a full vote to follow. Unlike other cabinet nominees selected by President Biden, Garland's confirmation appears to be likely, with bipartisan support.