Hatch, Senate Committee Approves Mukasey for AG

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) A Senate Committee today approved the nomination of Judge Michael Mukasey to be Attorney General of the United States. During the hearing, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch chastised his colleagues for pressing Mukasey to take a position on the controversial interrogation technique "waterboarding."

I don't believe torture is the real issue. The real issue is politicizing the justice department," says Hatch. "It politicizes the justice department to demand that Judge Mukasey take a position on waterboarding before he can go through a legally-correct process to analyze the issue. Especially since it is classified."

Hatch also criticized the committee for taking 46 days to approve Mukasey as the President's nominee. The Utah Senator praised Mukasey's credentials and then joined 10 of his colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee vote of 11 to 8, approving the Mukasey nomination.

Two prominent Democrats on the committee agreed to support Mukasey's nomination only after he vowed to enforce any law Congress might enact against waterboarding. In order to take office, Mukasey will need at least 60 votes from the full Senate.

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