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Attorney general candidate Merrick Garland defended Kristen Clarke, the lawyer hired to head the Department of Justice’s civil rights division, in a heated exchange with Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, during his confirmation hearing Monday.
Clarke, Biden’s candidate for assistant attorney general for civil rights, has drawn attention in recent weeks to a remade letter in 1994 that she co-wrote to Harvard Crimson. Clarke presented the letter as a denunciation of the findings in the controversial book called “The Bell Curve,” which suggested that intelligence was linked to genetics and environmental factors.
In the letter, Clarke wrote, among other things, that “black babies sit, stand, crawl and walk earlier than whites” and “melanin endows blacks with greater mental, physical and spiritual capacities.” While Clarke argued that the intent of his letter had been misinterpreted, critics, including Lee, questioned his suitability for a DOJ post.
TOP JUDICIAL SENATE DEM SUPPORTS CIVIL RIGHTS DOJ NOMINATE KRISTIN CLARKE AMID RESURFACED COMMENTS
Lee referred to the situation in a question to Garland, triggering a tense exchange.
“Past statements of an individual as an adult stating that one racial group is superior to another, would statements like these be relevant in assessing whether such a person should be charged with leading the rights division? civilians from the Department of Justice? ” Lee asked the candidate for the attorney general.
“I have read these allegations over the last few days about Kristen Clarke, whom I have also come to know, whom I also trust, who I believe is a person of integrity, of whom I have The Civil Rights Division’s perspective discussed with her and they are consistent with mine, ”Garland said in response. “I have every reason to want her. She is an experienced former online hate crimes prosecutor and we need someone like that,” Garland said before being interrupted by Lee.
“I’m not asking about her as a person, I’m asking about the statement,” Lee said.
“All I can tell you is that I’ve had a lot of conversations with her about her views on the Civil Rights Division, on the kinds of issues she would investigate,” Garland said.
“What about anti-Semitic comments. Would they be relevant?” Lee said.
Garland, who had previously detailed his own family’s experiences with anti-Semitism, was visibly angry over the question.
“You know my views on anti-Semitism. No one needs to question them,” Garland said. “I’m a pretty good judge of what an anti-Semite is and I don’t think she’s anti-Semitic and I don’t think she is discriminatory in any way.”
Earlier this year, Forward asked Clarke to explain her decision to write the letter, as well as her decision, while she was president of Harvard’s Black Students Association, to host Professor Tony Martin, who then went on to makes anti-Semitic remarks.
In response, Clarke said the letter was in response to “The Bell Curve, which” received wide acclaim for its racist views. “She declared her decision to start the letter” with an absurd claim that black people are superior on the basis of melanin. in their skin “was to” hold a mirror to reflect how reprehensible the premise of black inferiority was. “
“It was supposed to express an equally absurd point of view – fighting a ridiculous and absurd racist theory with another ridiculous and absurd theory,” Clarke said, “and the aim was to [exposing] the hideous racist foundations of the Bell curve theory. “
Clarke said it was a “mistake” to welcome Martin and said she “would unequivocally denounce[s] anti-Semitism. “
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Prior to her appointment, Clarke served as Chair of the Lawyers Committee for the Civil Rights Under Law Group. She was also head of the civil rights division under former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
As the head of the DOJ’s civil rights division, Clarke would lead efforts to continue police reform and other efforts to address systemic racism. Biden is committed to making civil rights reform a priority in his administration.
Clarke could come under scrutiny in her own confirmation hearing regarding her position on police reform. In a column for Newsweek last year, she called for a “strategic” effort to dispel police in favor of other community programs. Calls to strike off the police have troubled Republican lawmakers in recent months.
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