The Senate Judiciary Committee canceled Thursday's vote on more than 20 federal judge nominations Wednesday after Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) reiterated that he won't vote for any judges until Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) holds a vote on legislation to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
The committee has an 11-10 Republican majority, which is not enough to push through nominees without the backing of Flake. When Attorney General Jeff Sessions was ousted earlier this month and replaced with Matt Whitaker, a critic of the Russia investigation, Flake said he would fight for a bill to cover Mueller, and Flake and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) have since requested multiple times a full Senate vote on legislation that would prevent the executive branch from "inappropriately interfering" with any independent investigation.
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