Democrats are mulling an audacious plan to bottle up President Trump’s nominee to head the State Department in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — even though Mike Pompeo likely has enough votes to win confirmation on the Senate floor.

The plan under consideration would involve Democrats on the panel refusing to vote to discharge Pompeo, who is currently the director of the CIA, from the committee with even an unfavorable recommendation.

This would force Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to offer a motion to bring Pompeo’s nomination to the Senate floor. Democratic senators and aides say that motion would be subject to a filibuster, allowing Democrats to block Pompeo.

The move is politically risky.

It would heighten partisan tensions and play into President Trump’s arguments that Democrats are actively obstructing him. Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp’s (N.D.) announcement Thursday that she will back Pompeo’s nomination means he almost certainly will have at least 50 votes on the floor. – READ MORE