Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/655551
ByKenThomasand Kathleen Hennessey The Associated Press WASHINGTON In choos- ing a centrist judge with Republican appeal, Presi- dent Barack Obama hoped to corner GOP opponents who pledge to block his Su- preme Court pick. He also boxed in the Democrats vy- ing to succeed him. For Hillary Clinton, locked in a fight for the hearts of progressive vot- ers, Merrick Garland's nom- ination presents a political puzzle. She had no choice but to embrace the mild- mannered moderate whom Democrats plan to make into a symbol of Republi- can obstruction. But she does not want to hold him so close that she angers the party's left, wary of Garland and worried the party may end up forfeiting a chance to install a more liberal jus- tice on the court. Clinton's dilemma was evident in her campaign's cautious reaction to Obama's choice. In a state- ment, she mentioned Gar- land's "considerable experi- ence" both in the judiciary and in public service, his "brilliant legal mind" and past achievement of "bi- partisan support and ad- miration." But her campaign would not say whether she would commit to Garland for the long haul, arguing that Re- publicans won't be able to sustain denying the judge a Senate vote. Clinton's cam- paign said it was unlikely there will still be a vacancy when she wins the White House — sidestepping the issue of whether she would nominate him if elected. It's a pressing question for liberals who are con- cerned Republicans may delay Garland's nomina- tion through the election — to please their base — but then move to quickly con- firm the judge before a new Democratic president takes office to avoid a more liberal nominee in 2017. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a liberal favorite, addressed those worries di- rectly. Sanders said Thurs- day that if he won the White House, he would ask Obama to withdraw Garland's nom- ination so he could make his own choice. Garland "would not have been my nominee," Sanders said in an inter- view with The Associated Press, though he also said Garland had an "incredibly strong judicial record" and he would support him. Garland was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by Clinton's husband, Bill, in 1997. But Clinton has said she has "a bunch of lit- mus tests" for her potential nominees, including assur- ance that the Roe v. Wade abortion decision "is settled law," support for the Voting Rights Act and a commit- ment to try to overturn the Citizens United campaign finance ruling. Interest groups say Garland's record is inconclusive on those is- sues. "Hillary Clinton believes he is a brilliant jurist and the Republicans have no credible reason not to con- firm him," Clinton spokes- man Brian Fallon said. The White House has maintained that the politi- cal concerns of his potential successors did not factor into Obama's choice. Aides have said he did not consult with either campaign in his deliberations. Still, there's little doubt Obama weighed the polit- ical impact. He twice con- sidered and passed over Garland when selecting a nominee to face a Demo- cratic-led Senate. This time, Obama picked the finalist best poised to win Repub- lican support. "By choosing him and by choosing somebody who Republicans have acknowl- edged is a consensus nom- inee and belongs on the court, we've also made it easier for Republicans to fulfill their constitutional duty in a way that doesn't require them to compro- mise," White House spokes- man Josh Earnest said. While progressive orga- nizations are pushing Sen- ate Republicans to allow Obama's nominee to re- ceive a full hearing and a vote, they've made it clear Garland was hardly their top pick and a confirmation in a post-election, lame- duck session — if Demo- crats win the White House and Senate control — would amount to a pyrrhic victory. "Garland is not just an olive branch he's an olive tree," said Adam Green, a co-founder of the Progres- sive Change Campaign Committee. He predicted a "growing crescendo of voices saying that no action should happen in a lame duck" session if Garland's nomination is still pending. Neither the White House nor Democratic leaders in Congress are ruling out a lame-duck confirmation. Doing so would take away a key bit of leverage. Neera Tanden, a Clin- ton ally and president of the Center for American Progress, said progressive groups are united in insist- ing Republicans confirm Garland. "There's no rea- son why they can't act on this nomination two weeks from now rather than five to seven months from now," she said. Progressive groups say they're hoping Garland gets a hearing so they can make a determination for them- selves. His record on the bench leaves little firm indi- cation on whether he would support such causes as over- turning Citizens United. Garland was involved in two campaign finance cases. In one, he upheld a 70-year-old ban on cam- paign contributions from federal contractors. In the other, he sided with a unan- imous decision to strike down limits. SUPREME COURT PICK Choice of Garland complicates presidential campaign By Robert Burns The Associated Press WASHINGTON Fourteen members of an Air Force unit responsible for guard- ing nuclear missiles in Wy- oming, Colorado and Ne- braska are under investiga- tion for possible illegal drug activity, including cases in- volving cocaine use, defense officials said Friday. The probe is a fresh blow to a nuclear missile corps that has been under intense scrutiny in recent years for a string of lapses in train- ing and personal conduct, first revealed by The Asso- ciated Press. The Air Force has said repeatedly over the past year that it is making significant changes aimed at lifting morale and im- proving performance. The investigation at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, home of the 90th Missile Wing, near Cheyenne, Wy- oming, was announced by Gen. Robin Rand, the four- star commander of Air Force GlobalStrikeCommand.The command is responsible for theentirefleetof450Minute- man 3 nuclear missiles that standinundergroundlaunch silos, one third of them op- erated by the 90th Missile Wing. The missile force is on alert 24 hours a day, year- round,requiringstrictadher- ence to performance stan- dardsbythemenandwomen who operate, maintain and protect them. Rand, speaking by tele- phone from his headquar- ters at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, said the 14 airmen under investi- gation range in rank from Airman 1st Class to Senior Airman and are members of the security group at F.E. Warren that is respon- sible for securing the mis- sile fields and convoys that move nuclear weapons. Rand said the 14 are ac- cused of off-duty drug "ac- tivity," which he refused to further define. He said the allegations were "credible." "This is very impor- tant to me that we get to the bottom of this," Rand said, adding that he is con- fident the vast majority of airmen in the nuclear mis- sile corps comply with Air Force standards of personal conduct. "We have a special trust with our nation, with our public, with the mis- sion that we do in Air Force Global Strike Command." The security unit at F.E. Warren, known as the 90th Security Forces Group, in- cludes about 1,300 airmen, Rand said, of which nearly 1,000 are junior enlisted members of ranks similar to the 14 under investigation. They are commanded by Col. Christopher L. Corley. The investigation was started after a member of the security forces alerted his superiors of his suspi- cion of drug activity by an- other airman, Rand said, adding that the commander of the 90th Missile Wing, Col. Stephen Kravitsky, in- formed him Tuesday that an investigation was underway. It's not clear when it began. Rand said the 14 have been removed from duty while the Air Force Office of Special Investigations looks into the case. He declined to provide further details, in- cluding what drugs are al- legedly involved. 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