Russ Feingold: “I have so far voted for all of President Bush's nominees for positions in the Department of Justice and other executive…”

“I have so far voted for all of President Bush's nominees for positions in the Department of Justice and other executive branch departments. As I have explained before, I believe that the President's choices for executive positions are due great deference by the Senate. I am very reluctant to vote against a qualified nominee for such a position. I have been criticized for some of my votes on this President's nominations, including my vote for Attorney General Ashcroft, and I'm sure I will take criticism for some of my votes in the future. But, I have never said I will vote for every executive branch nominee, and today I must vote ``No'' on the nomination of Theodore Olson to be Solicitor General of the United States. I am disappointed that the Senate is moving so quickly to a vote on this nomination. I believe that serious questions exist about Mr. Olson's candor in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Although there has been some further inquiry about these matters in the past week, after the Judiciary Committee voted 9-9 on Mr. Olson's nomination, the Senate has not had time to review and digest even the limited additional information that the inquiry uncovered. Without further time to resolve the questions that our committee's work has raised, I cannot in good conscience vote for Mr. Olson.”