The Washington Standard is reporting that powerful U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) will oppose the confirmation of conservative Republican attorney Pete Serrano to become the next U.S. Attorney for Eastern Washington, and his position on gun rights is apparently a major sticking point.
TGM interviewed Serrano in mid-August after he was appointed interim U.S. Attorney. He is the former mayor of Pasco, and founded the conservative Silent Majority Foundation. He also represented plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Evergreen State’s ban on so-called “large-capacity magazines.”
According to the Washington Standard, Murray issued a statement declaring, “Pete Serrano has tried to rewrite the history of the violent January 6th insurrection, thinks the Supreme Court overturning Roe and allowing states to pass criminal abortion bans was ‘the right decision,’ and has fought in court to unleash dangerous assault weapons on our streets.”
Murray has long been a proponent of restrictive gun controls, including bans on so-called “assault weapons” and their standard-capacity magazines. She is also known for far-left positions on social issues including abortion.
In an interview with the Washington Standard, Serrano said he is letting the process “play out.”
But Murray said, “His extreme right-wing views are far out of step with the people of Washington state, and I will be using every legislative tool I have to block his confirmation.”
Serrano acknowledges he has an uphill battle even with the Republican controlled Senate, where his confirmation will be on the line. He can serve as interim U.S. Attorney for 120 days, and that clock is ticking. The appointment expires Dec. 9.
According to the Washington Standard, Murray will use a maneuver known mas the “blue chip,” which allows senators from a state to derail judicial and federal nominees from their states. This is a tradition in the Senate, and members of the upper house on both sides of the aisle have defended it.
Serrano isn’t giving up, however. He has not met with either Murray or U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and that may come sometime this fall.
