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Sen. Chuck Grassley, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, R-Iowa, said that while President Biden’s candidate for Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta has done an “admirable” job in the past, his past comments about Republicans have made him fearful of filling a critical Justice Department position.
Grassley raised this issue during Gupta’s confirmation hearing before the committee on Tuesday morning.
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“His Twitter feed portrayed Republicans with a broad brush, describing our national convention last year as three nights of ‘racism, xenophobia and outrageous lies,’ Grassley said in his opening speech. in this room were there? Of course, Ms. Gupta actually launched attacks on Twitter directly against some of them. Will this kind of partisan political advocacy affect her legal defense in her role of representing all Americans? “
Grassley went on to note that Gupta had had strong words against members of the judiciary – including Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh – who might be dealing with cases in which she might be involved.
The chairman of the committee, Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Later gave Gupta a chance to address Grassley’s concerns about his partisan positions.
“I understand why you have them. I take them seriously,” Gupta said. “I regret the harsh rhetoric that I have sometimes used in recent years. Maybe, I think, the rhetoric has gotten pretty harsh in the last few years and I’ve fallen prey to it, and I wish I could resume … I can’t, but what I can hire you and ask you to do is look at my lifelong record. “
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Gupta said that throughout her career she has “sought out people who don’t always think like me” and who have different points of view in order to “come up with a consensus to get things done.” She added that while she has been a “long-time idealistic civil rights advocate,” she is also “deeply pragmatic,” which is why she believes officials have the confidence of law enforcement officials.
If that’s confirmed, she said, “you won’t hear that kind of rhetoric from me.”
Later in the hearing, Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, alluded to Gupta’s earlier comments in reference to his refusal to accept the apology from Ryan Bounds, who had been appointed to the Court of Appeals for ninth circuit. Bounds had written statements while in college which he later admitted to be offensive, but Gupta submitted a letter opposing his selection. Bounds’s appointment was subsequently withdrawn.
Gupta had written that Bounds’ apologies were for “convenience” and not “remorse.”
“My question to you,” said Lee, “will you stand by? Is this something we should apply to all applicants? Is this something we should apply to you, to Merrick Garland, to all of the Justice Department candidates? “
Picking up on what Lee was getting at, Gupta again expressed regret for his past words.
“I apologize for the kind of foul language I have used in the past,” Gupta said, noting that during her career she has worked with members of different parties and that in the future , she would work respectfully with others despite political disagreements.
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“I hope you take this to be genuine and genuine,” she said.
Lee then said Gupta’s response was similar to what Bounds had said, but Gupta was “applying a standard very harshly” to Bounds by opposing his appointment. The senator asked if the same standard should be applied to him.
“I am a supporter of second chance and redemption, and I would ask for it today,” Gupta said.
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