Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) has found a new lever in his primary campaign against Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA). Sestak is hitting Specter for his early (and possibly continuing) opposition to the confirmation of Dawn Johnsen, whom President Obama nominated to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel back in February.
“As the administration deals with crucial legal issues from interrogating and prosecuting terrorists to closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Arlen Specter and Senate Republicans have decided to tie the President’s hands by denying him a critical advisor,” Sestak says in a new statement.
The move comes as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, amid pressure from the left, takes aim at Republicans for obstructing the confirmation of dozens of Obama nominees.
When he joined the Democratic party earlier this year, Specter said he’d continue to oppose Johnsen’s confirmation. Months later, Johnsen supporters privately say Specter probably isn’t a major factor in the continuing stall. But he still hasn’t said publicly that he’ll support her confirmation. Sestak’s move could push him in that direction.
