Democrats warn Bush on Attorney General pick

Thursday, September 13, 2007  

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said on Wednesday that Democrats would not allow former Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson to be confirmed as Attorney General.

President Bush has yet to name a replacement for outgoing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Olson, who handled the U.S. Supreme Court for the Bush administration from June 2001 to July 2004, emerged as a leading contender.

Reid, however, said Olson "will not be confirmed by the Senate." He described Olson, who helped Bush win the 2000 election case and was part of attacks on the Clinton administration, as a partisan.

During his tenure at the Department of Justice, Olson sought for limits to the federal government's trust responsibility. The Supreme Court rejected the arguments in two crucial cases.

As an attorney in private practice, he represented a white rancher who successfully challenged a Native Hawaiian election before the U.S. Supreme Court. He is currently representing a Canadian company that is trying to avoid liability for polluting the Colville Reservation in Washington.

Gonzales' last day is September 17.

Get the Story:
Reid Says Senators Would Block Olson (The Washington Post 9/13)
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Bush Is Warned on a Gonzales Successor (The New York Times 9/13)
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