Warsh's Confirmation Hearing, and His Way Forward

Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee brutalized Warsh over ethics concerns regarding his financial assets, despite full disclosure of them and an agreement to divest. Warsh erred by engaging Warren substantively, and got flustered under her hectoring and innuendo. We take that as a token of his integrity. Tillis, who says he will vote against Warsh as a protest against Trump's DOJ probe, nevertheless defended him robustly. If Tillis votes no, the Committee will tie 12-12. The Senate could still vote on the nomination with a resolution to discharge the Committee, but doing so would take a filibuster-proof supermajority of 60 votes. If Warsh is approved and takes office, Powell says he will stay on as governor until the probe is resolved, in which case Trump says he will fire him, and Powell would likely not comply. That would be a distraction for Warsh, but it would not be procedurally incumbent on him to either fire Powell on Trump's behalf nor to shield him.