Washington, D.C. ? Senate Democrats will block Ted Olson from succeeding Alberto Gonzales as attorney general if President Bush nominates him, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday.

“Ted Olson will not be confirmed,” Reid, D-Nev., said in a written statement. “I intend to do everything I can to prevent him from being confirmed as the next attorney general.”

The comment gave weight to Republican warnings that Olson, a former solicitor general, would face brutal confirmation hearings and that the White House can’t afford a fight now over who will head the troubled federal law enforcement agency.

“He is certainly not a consensus nominee,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “He has a very political background.”

There had been no indication that Bush had settled on Olson to succeed Gonzales, whose last day on the job is Friday.