Durbin, White House slam emerging GOP attack on KBJ sex offender rulings

[ShazzieB]

Source: Politico

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is questioning whether the Supreme Court nominee was tough enough on the matter while on the U.S. Sentencing Commission and as a district court judge.

Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and the Biden White House on Thursday derided a new GOP attack on Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, centered on her handling of sex offenders.

"I don't believe in it being taken seriously," Durbin said in an interview about the charges leveled by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). "I'm troubled by it because it's so outrageous. It really tests the committee as to whether we're going to be respectful in the way we treat this nominee."

Durbin's response -- plus a heated reply from the White House -- comes after Hawley, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Jackson's record on the U.S. Sentencing Commission and as a district court judge in a series of tweets Wednesday, going so far as to say "her record endangers children." Hawley's tweets offers a potential preview of Republicans' questions next week, when Jackson's confirmation hearings are scheduled to take place.

-more at source-


Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/17/durbin-white-house-disparage-emerging-conservative-attack-on-kbj-sex-offender-rulings-00018142

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Sounds like the Repugs are warming up for some nastiness. I believe she'll be confirmed in the end, but they are going to rake her over the coals as much as possible before that happens.

EDITED TO ADD: Fortunately, this seat is not vacant yet. Breyer will be sticking around until his replacement is confirmed and ready to be sworn in, so there is no need to rush things. The hearings will be held and the Repugs on the committee will be jerks because that is how the game is played, but I'm confident that Senator Durbin will be able to keep things under control, especially with Democratic Judicial Committee members like Amy Klobuchar, Corey Booker, and others there to back him up.

She will be confirmed. There will be GOP hijinks along the way, but I don't think we need to worry about the outcome.

[JohnSJ]

1. I wish the Democrats would call Hawley out as a co-conspirator with the January 6th insurrectionists

It isn’t good enough to say they don’t believe anyone will take his comment seriously

They call us every damn name in the book, and we are supposed to rise above that?

[BComplex]

3. They should. But Garland is the one who should be giving them the ammunition to do that.

[JohnSJ]

5. Sure, but that is beside the fact. Most of the time we don't push back on their crap. They call us

unAmerican, and we respond, “that’s not nice”

[BComplex]

31. True. n/t

[Evolve Dammit]

12. He's fund-raising over the raised fist image taken that day. Traitor. Charge him already.

[mountain grammy]

17. Yes they should.. then they should find dirt on him

he's sleazy.. there's something there.

[JohnSJ]

25. It is pretty public his sympathy with the insurrectionists

[MacKasey]

2. When ever Hawley name is said

The media should say he endorsed the criminals who stormed the capital

[drmeow]

4. Josh Hawley, friends with

alleged sex offender Matt Goetz and supporter of armed insurectionists who tried to overthrow a democratic election, today suggested that Supreme Court nominee, KBJ, of beingsoft on sex offenders - snort

[Rebl2]

7. So agree with you

[Sneederbunk]

20. Traitorous fist pumper.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. Are there fifty Dem votes for her?

Or are there one or two "stars" messing up the works?

[PoliticAverse]

8. That's the real question - are any Repubican votes needed or not? n/t

[Ace Rothstein]

9. Why hasn't she been confirmed yet?

Why isn't she on the ACB timeline for confirmation?

[ShazzieB]

15. Sorry, I don't understand your question.

She is in the process of being confirmed. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for her confirmation are being held next week. I posted about this earlier today: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216494685

Meanwhile, the Repugs are busy trying to scrounge up things they can use against her, as described in the article linked in the o.p. They will be assholes next week, because that's what they do, but as I said in the o.p., I believe she'll be confirmed in the end. They know they can't block her confirmation without a REALLY compelling reason, and there is not going to be any such reason. They just have to do some performative tough guy stuff first, to make points with their voters.

[Ace Rothstein]

16. ACB was sworn in 39 days after RBG passed away.

Why aren't we operating on the same timeline as that one? Breyer announced his retirement on Jan 27th so we are already pushing two months.

[dixiechiken1]

22. I was wondering the same thing...

Why tf are we even entertaining their bullshit with a response or giving it oxygen? Her qualifications are impeccable. Ram her confirmation through just like they did ACB. RAM. IT. THROUGH. This is not a game. We need this done.

[JohnSJ]

26. I wonder if we do that if Manchin will start making waves?

[Ace Rothstein]

27. Good point.

[ShazzieB]

33. There's no need to "ram" anything through.

The seat is not vacant yet. Breyer will be there till his replacement is confirmed. Letting things proceed at a reasonable, rather than breakneck, pace is perfectly appropriate in this instance.

[ShazzieB]

32. What's the rush?

Seriously, what's the hurry?

Handmaid Amy was rushed through because McConnell was in the driver's seat at the time. The seat was already vacant, and he was in a hurry to get a conservative appointed to fill it and in a position to make that happen.

This time Breyer is planning to stick around until the confirmation process is complete, so there's no need to make it happen extra fast. It's proceeding at a perfectly reasonable pace, not at the speed of light, but not dragging either.

I fail to see anything advantageous about pushing to make it happen faster.

[dixiechiken1]

34. Remember when Senator Lujan had a stroke in January?

Thankfully, he recovered. With an evenly split Senate, the majority can shift in a literal heartbeat.

I see everything advantageous about pushing to make it happen faster.

[Ace Rothstein]

35. Our razor thin "majority" in the Senate scares the hell out of me.

[Martin68]

10. Like Putin, the Repugs throw slander and fake news against the wall to see what sticks.

That's how Youngkin won Virginia.

[Evolve Dammit]

11. Can we indict Matt Gaetz yet? WTF

[Grins]

13. Predicted. The day Biden announced his pick it started.

Eff them.

Point and laugh at them and go for the throat.

She is going to be confirmed regardless of the ass-pulled stuff they will thrown at her just to rile up their “base” of bigots and imbeciles.

[pansypoo53219]

14. kavanot kavanut kavanut kavanut kavanut. GFY.

PLUS no rape of incest exceptions for abortion. AS IF THEY CARE!!!!

[lagomorph777]

30. They just confirmed a sex offender. Now that stuff suddenly matters to them?

That's rich.

[monkeyman1]

18. hummmmm- why is Matty still walking free & his co-heart's ?

seem's to be a good question for the media ?

[RAB910]

19. I hate when there is a typo

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)

When will they get it right

it's

Sen. Josh Hawley (T-Mo.)


The T is for traitor

[dixiechiken1]

23. Projection.

Everything is projection with these people. They're creepy af and I have zero doubt that they diddle children.

[Haggis 4 Breakfast]

28. Their attacks on her are so transparent.

RACISM IS A CANCER UPON THIS COUNTRY.

People on her side should immediately scream, "This reeks of a high tech lynching." Worked for Clarence Thomas.

[tishaLA]

29. I'm pretty sure this is going to piss off Mitch

The reports were that Mitch would vote no on the nomination but that he didn't want the caucus to do scorched earth on Judge Brown Jackson because her appointment to the court wouldn't do anything in terms of the court's right wing extremism. Hawley isn't much of a team player, though, and he probably wants some attention to hone his bona fides with the QNuts.