Sen. Kaine seems to be holding back this Trump appointee, a Middle Eastern expert, see article for more info:
Sen. Kaine, let David Schenker go
February 28, 2019
The food fights between the executive and legislative branches over presidential nominations are not new to Washington. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s ongoing spat with Sen. Bob Menendez (D- NJ) of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee over who’s to blame for stalled ambassador nominations is only the latest in the long back-and-forth between Congress and the ad-ministration of President Donald Trump over personnel.
But our own Sen. Tim Kaine has pushed senatorial advice and consent beyond wisdom.
David Schenker, a former Bush administration official now serving at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, is the casualty of Kaine’s roadblock. Kaine has held up Schenker’s nomination as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs since he was nominated in April, and renominated last month. Schenker is eminently qualified for the position, and there exists no opposition to the candidacy itself. But Kaine is using his hold on Schenker’s nomination to needle the Trump Administration on its justification for the use of force in Syria this April.
Read more at: https://alextimes.com/2019/02/your-views-sen-kaine-let-david-schenker-go/
