Democrats Launch Retaliation War on Trump’s DOJ Picks
In a dramatic escalation of partisan warfare in the Senate, Democrat Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced he is blocking President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida, citing “precedent” set by now-Vice President JD Vance during the Biden years.
“There cannot be one set of rules for Republicans and another set for Democrats,” Durbin claimed, placing a hold on nominee Jason Reding Quiñones.
But Republicans aren’t buying the excuse—and Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is firing back.
Grassley: “This Is an Unprecedented Attack”
Grassley slammed Durbin’s move as a false equivalency and dangerous overreach, warning that blocking Trump’s nominees before a single U.S. Attorney has been confirmed amounts to a “blanket hold” on law enforcement infrastructure.
“The precedent Durbin claims Vance set does not exist,” Grassley said.
“Vance’s holds were limited, late-stage, and targeted. What Durbin is doing is a full-scale sabotage of the criminal justice system.”
Grassley’s statement underscores what Republicans call a Democratic revenge play—one that could severely impair prosecutorial functions across the country, particularly in key districts like Florida and D.C., where federal prosecutions are ramping up under Trump’s second-term DOJ reforms.
Durbin Threatens Nationwide Holds
Durbin has left open the possibility of blocking future Trump U.S. Attorney picks, warning that Democrats may now stonewall confirmations nationwide. The move echoes a similar stunt by Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), who previously derailed Trump’s nomination of Ed Martin for U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C.—a decision that pushed Martin into a different DOJ role as Pardon Attorney.
The latest target, Jason Reding Quiñones, is a seasoned federal prosecutor with deep experience in the Southern District of Florida. Blocking his confirmation could delay or derail key anti-trafficking, anti-fraud, and national security cases in a major federal jurisdiction.
The Stakes: DOJ Gridlock or Real Reform
The Biden-era DOJ was plagued by politicized prosecutions and partisan shielding, prompting Trump to overhaul the Justice Department’s leadership structure. But without Senate confirmation, his new appointees cannot take charge.
Durbin’s gambit threatens to freeze DOJ reform just as Trump prepares to root out deep-state prosecutors and replace them with rule-of-law patriots.
Bottom Line: A Dangerous Precedent
While Democrats frame this as “tit for tat,” Republicans see it as a cynical power play that endangers the very functioning of the American justice system.
“The criminal justice system doesn’t stop for political games,” a Senate GOP aide warned.
“Durbin isn’t punishing Trump—he’s sabotaging law enforcement in his own country.”
With 93 U.S. Attorney slots to fill, the next few weeks could determine whether Trump’s DOJ vision takes shape—or is strangled in the crib by Democratic obstructionism.
America’s legal system hangs in the balance.
