Washington ? Senate Republican leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., Friday blocked a $1.5 million request from the Judiciary Committee for its post-Sept. 11 oversight operations as part of a retaliatory strike against Democrats for killing the judicial nomination of a fellow Mississippian.

Lott’s reprisals, which also included a move to block a senior Senate Democratic aide’s appointment to the Federal Communications Commission, signaled an escalation in the Senate’s long-running war over judicial nominations.

Democrats warned that GOP efforts to hold up legislation or nominations could hurt President Bush more than themselves. They noted that most matters on the Senate schedule are Bush priorities, such as energy, trade and nominations.

Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said Lott’s tactics could backfire by discouraging cooperation from Democrats. Republicans will “want our cooperation in moving other nominees,” he said.

Furious over the Judiciary Committee’s party-line vote Thursday to reject the nomination of U.S. Judge Charles Pickering to the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Lott told reporters, “the Senate is going to be in very bad shape” if Democrats continue to hold up or block Bush’s judicial nominations.

He said Pickering’s rejection had “damaged” his relations with Daschle, both personally and professionally. Daschle had opposed Pickering’s confirmation and said he would put the nomination before the full Senate only if the Judiciary Committee approved such action. When the committee refused to do so, Pickering’s nomination died.

Asked what he intended to do, Lott said there would be selective retribution, not “a sledgehammer kind of thing.” He said he may try to force the Senate to vote on stalled nominations, and suggested other unspecified options for retaliation.

“You’ll see it in a lot of ways in a lot of days,” he said.

Lott had already let it be known he would use Senate rules to block the anticipated nomination of Daschle aide Jonathan Adelstein to one of the two seats reserved for Democrats on the five-member FCC. Lott said he believed Adelstein, 39, a Senate legislative aide for the past 14 years, is too young and inexperienced, although Michael Powell, the FCC’s Republican chairman, is 38.

Daschle said, “It’s unfortunate that he (Lott) is lashing out at someone totally uninvolved with the Pickering nomination.”

A few hours later, Lott released copies of letters to leaders of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, who handle requests for committee spending, strongly advising them to refuse to give the Judiciary Committee any more money. He said ranking Republican Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would block the panel’s $1.5 million request.

In a news release, Lott said the House and Senate intelligence committees were already investigating terrorism-related intelligence operations and added: “One of the significant failures of the Senate this past year has been the Judiciary Committee’s slow action on the president’s judicial nominees. I am hard pressed to understand why the committee, under its current leadership, should be entrusted with further responsibilities and resources when they have failed to take action on their primary responsibilities.”

Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the request for additional funds was made by both ranking Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and himself and was intended to “make sure that agencies like the FBI and INS are doing their jobs skillfully as the war on terrorism unfolds.” It “has nothing to do with any “parallel’ investigation to the work of the Intelligence Committee,” Leahy said.

Meanwhile, Democrats got a blast from one of their own. Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., who is often at odds with his party’s leaders, criticized his colleagues for blocking Pickering, whom he described as “a good and brave man.” He said they may pay a high price in the South.

“Politically, this action may very well elect a Republican governor in Mississippi” Miller said.