Senator Murray says Pete Serrano’s conservative views are “far out of step with the people of Washington” and aims to block his confirmation into the permanent role.
SPOKANE, Wash. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray says she plans to block the confirmation of Pete Serrano, who was named interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington earlier this month.
Serrano was appointed to the position by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on August 6 and sworn in on August 11. He can serve for 120 days as he awaits official confirmation by the U.S. Senate, which may never happen if Senator Murray blocks his nomination process.
“Pete Serrano has tried to rewrite the history of the violent January 6th insurrection, thinks the Supreme Court overturning Roe and allowing states to pass criminal abortion bans was ‘the right decision,’ and has fought in court to unleash dangerous assault weapons on our streets,” said Sen. Murray in a statement sent to KREM 2 News. “His extreme right-wing views are far out of step with the people of Washington state, and I will be using every legislative tool I have to block his confirmation.”
Senator Murray’s office confirmed with KREM 2 that Serrano’s confirmation may be blocked using a Senate tradition, called a “blue slip,” which allows senators to block the advancement of federal attorney and judge positions in their state.
The blue slip is essentially a consent form that is sent by the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee to the two senators of the nominee’s home state.
If the senators sign the slip, the nomination moves forward. But if they provide a negative response, or if the form is not returned, the chairman of the judiciary panel can choose not to move forward.
President Trump has called the process “old and outdated” and has said he may sue over the custom, but Republican senators argue that they use the process to their own benefit during Democratic administrations.
A spokesperson for Senator Murray clarified that the blue slip would not be used until Serrano is officially nominated to hold the permanent, not the interim, position of federal prosecutor.
Before his appointment, Serrano resigned from his position as the mayor of the City of Pasco. In 2021, Serrano co-founded the Silent Majority Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on civil rights cases on behalf of conservative organizations and causes.
As Interim U.S. Attorney, Serrano will supervise the prosecution of all federal crimes and the litigation of all civil matters in the Eastern District of Washington.
