Dawn Johnsen has waited around for six long months since President Barack Obama chose her to head one of the most influential and controversial offices in the U.S. Department of Justice. She’s likely to wait a while longer.
Supporters of Johnsen’s nomination to lead the Office of Legal Counsel now see dwindling chances that the U.S. Senate will confirm her before September. Republicans are using the Senate’s complex procedures to prevent Democrats from scheduling a vote. Activists on the right and left have turned her nomination into a proxy fight for abortion and torture debates, making it difficult for senators to strike a deal over an office that was already a political battleground. Compounding Johnsen’s problem is the absence of two ailing senators and the packed legislative calendar ahead of the Senate’s August recess.
