Senate Judiciary Committee reports two nominations after debate on judicial security and shooting outside Capitol Jewish Museum

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday favorably reported two Department of Justice nominees after a tense hearing that included bipartisan condemnations of a shooting outside the Capitol Jewish Museum and renewed questions about judicial security and agency priorities.

Senators voted 12–10 to report Terrence Cole to the full Senate as administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and 12–9 with one present to report Guedesus Seralta for director of the U.S. Marshals Service, the committee clerk announced. A third nominee, David Waterman for U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, was held over and will be considered at a later meeting.

The votes followed opening remarks from the committee chair and a forceful statement by Senate Democratic Whip Richard J. Durbin, who urged an immediate briefing from the FBI and the Justice Department on the investigation into the previous night’s shooting. Durbin said two Israeli embassy staff members were killed “outside of the Capitol Jewish Museum” and described the attack as “a display of senseless and cowardly violence.” He asked the chair and the…