Judiciary Committee sets Mukasey vote for Tuesday

The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote next Tuesday on the nomination of Michael Mukasey as attorney general.

{mosads}The vote is expected to be close after panel Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and other Democrats expressed deep concerns over Mukasey’s comments on the interrogation technique known as waterboarding, which simulates drowning. Mukasey condemned the technique but said he does not know whether it constitutes torture.

Leahy said earlier in the week that Mukasey did not appear to have the 10 votes needed to send his nomination to the Senate floor. It is unclear whether that has changed now that Mukasey has submitted responses to the written questions of committee members.

Ranking Republican Arlen Specter (Pa.) has not said how he would vote, but he stated Wednesday that he did not know “how much more (Mukasey) can say than what he said.” Specter added that there is “no doubt the confirmation is at risk … because he has not answered the question categorically.”