What a surprise to agree wholeheartedly (well, almost) with Jim Fossel (“Senate must not shirk its duty on nominee confirmations,” Nov. 24). He is absolutely correct in calling for President-elect Trump’s cabinet nominees and others to be confirmed (or not) after the U.S. Senate has the opportunity to exercise its constitutional duty to hold hearings and votes on the nominees. Recess appointments will just not do. After all, Trump won the popular vote with a bare 1.5 percent margin. Let the people’s representatives have their say.
Where I disagree with Fossel is his claim that then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked the nomination of President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court due to McConnell’s and other Republicans “expressing a sentiment on the nominee.” That is false. Garland did not even have a Senate hearing to consider his qualifications. It was a pure political power play to prevent Obama from appointing a new justice to the Supreme Court.
Trump’s threat of recess appointments? The U.S. Senate should not give into this Trump power play.
Richard Stower
Yarmouth
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.