Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), the president’s pick for Commerce Secretary, just revealed during an interview with CNBC that he would recuse himself from congressional votes while his nomination is being considered by his former Senate colleagues.
It sounds like a harmless announcement — but what this effectively does is deny Senate Democrats a gettable GOP vote in favor of Obama’s stimulus bill at a time when they’re desperately in need of one.
It would have been entirely conceivable for Gregg to follow Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-NY) example and show up for Senate votes while his nomination was being considered by the chamber. Quite a disappointing move.
Late Update: We’ve got video of Gregg’s comments, after the jump.
