WASHINGTON — Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) admitted Thursday that he made “a mistake” by voting to confirm Josh Divine, a 35-year-old archconservative with a long record of litigation against abortion rights, to a lifetime federal judgeship.
King told HuffPost that he voted Tuesday to confirm Divine after talking to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who gave Divine “a strong reference.” Divine, who will now serve on a U.S. district court in Missouri, used to be Hawley’s chief counsel.
“I took Josh Hawley’s advice,” said the Maine senator. “In retrospect, I think it was a mistake, from what I’ve learned about Mr. Divine since. But sometimes, you rely on your colleagues.”
Asked if he was aware of Divine’s record on abortion rights, King said, “Not fully.”
King’s vote didn’t change the outcome of Divine’s confirmation, as he already had enough Republican votes to get through. But it’s an embarrassing misstep by the Maine senator, who otherwise caucuses with Democrats and strongly backs abortion rights.
