Overview
- Four GOP committee members — Sens. Ted Cruz, John Curtis, John Cornyn, and Dave McCormick — have said they will not support advancing the nomination following the Oct. 23 hearing.
- Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso said it will be hard to even get the nomination to the floor, signaling the votes are not there to proceed.
- Democratic senators, including Chris Murphy, Tim Kaine, and Jeanne Shaheen, pressed Ghalib over his past statements, and no Democrats have publicly defended him.
- Lawmakers cited a record that includes calling Saddam Hussein a “martyr,” disputing reports of Hamas sexual violence, and liking a post comparing Jewish people to monkeys; Ghalib downplayed his social media activity and said the Saddam remark was made in anger.
- The White House did not respond to requests for comment, Sen. Rand Paul said he is still considering the nomination, and Sen. Pete Ricketts plans to raise concerns with Chair Jim Risch.