By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republicans on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee backed five nominees for diplomatic positions on Thursday despite a Democratic boycott, underscoring deep divisions between members of President Donald Trump’s party and lawmakers from the minority.
It is unusual for Senate committees to press ahead on such votes without the participation of both parties.
It was a notable departure for the foreign relations panel, which, more than other committees, has long been known for bipartisan action, including steering the unanimous confirmation in January of then-Senator Marco Rubio, to be Trump’s Secretary of State.
The committee’s 12 Republicans backed Trump’s nominees to be ambassador to Chile, the Dominican Republic, France, Ireland and the Netherlands. The panel’s 10 Democrats did not attend the meeting, or a subsequent nominations hearing, saying Republicans had bowed to White House pressure to go ahead without a traditional bipartisan agreement on the agenda.
Senate divisions along party lines have widened since Trump began his second term on Jan. 20, with Republicans nearly unanimously supporting the president’s initiatives like slashing foreign aid that once enjoyed strong bipartisan support as a crucial source of U.S. “soft power.”
Republicans have not hesitated to take a hard line to overcome what they see as Democratic obstruction. In April, the Republican Majority Leader John Thune scheduled votes after midnight to confirm Trump’s nominee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after Democrats, angry over Trump’s firing of his predecessor, blocked a quick vote.
The foreign relations committee’s approval of the latest nominees tees up their consideration by the full Senate, where Trump’s Republicans have a 53-47 majority and have confirmed every one of his picks who has come up for a vote.
‘RULES AND TRADITIONS’
“Unfortunately, today the Majority did not agree to the Committee’s long-standing rules and traditions to keep the Minority properly informed. Therefore, Democrats did not participate in today’s proceedings,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the panel’s top Democrat, said in a statement.
Democrats said the majority normally ensures both parties are informed about meeting agendas and time.
Asked for comment, a spokesperson for Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, the committee’s chairman, pointed to his remarks at the hearing. Risch said little about the Democrats’ absence, beyond noting that the committee could vote on the nominees as long as every Republican was present.
“Democrats have all been previously notified, have indicated they have no interest in attending this meeting. So be it,” Risch said.
The nominee for ambassador to Paris backed by the panel on Thursday was Charles Kushner, the father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The elder Kushner served two years in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion, witness tampering and other federal charges. He was later pardoned by Trump.
The committee also held a confirmation hearing without Democrats for five other Trump nominees, including Kenneth Howery to be ambassador to Denmark, and Trump’s picks to serve in Switzerland, Malta, at the Organization of American States and as assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs.
Relations between the U.S. and long-time ally Denmark have been chilled of late over Trump’s talk of annexing Greenland, a Danish territory. On Wednesday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he would call in the acting U.S. ambassador for talks after the Wall Street Journal reported Washington had ordered U.S. intelligence agencies to step up spying on Greenland.
The Republicans did not question any of the nominees at the hearing. In his opening statement, Howery acknowledged recent “spirited” discussions over the island and expressed belief in “open dialogue and cooperation.”
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Don Durfee and Daniel Wallis)
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