Many of those working in the federal government are the sons and daughters of immigrants. They have a noticeably strong desire to give back to the country that welcomed them at a time of great strife. As they testify before Senate and House committees, their patriotism shines through against the jaded view of many American citizens.
At one time during his testimony, Judge Garland was asked about his family’s history by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). He responded emotionally, according to MSM:
‘So I come from a family — or my grandparents fled anti-Semitism and persecution. The country took us in and protected us. And I feel an obligation to the country to pay back, and this is the highest, best use of my own set of skills to pay back.’
‘And so, I want very much to be the kind of attorney general that you’re saying I could become.’
Merrick Garland is a conservative Jew. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is a Mormon who asked him about so-called anti-Semitism from another one of President Joe Biden’s nominees. Lee’s question managed to warp Vanita Gupta’s quote:
‘Do you believe Republicans of the United States as a whole are determined to ‘leave our communities to the mercy of people and institutions driven by hate, bigotry, and fear of any threat to the status quote?’
Garland replied:
‘I don’t make generalizations about people from political parties.’
Lee continued:
‘The reason I raise these — these are questions drawn from comments made by Vanita Gupta, who’s been nominated to be associate attorney general, has advocated for each of these sessions.’
“Well, I know Vanita Gupta quite well — I did not know her before but since the nomination, I’ve gotten to know her, to talk with her, and I can tell you I regard her as a person of great integrity and a person dedicated to the mission of the department, particularly equal justice under the law.’
Lee parried:
‘I’m not asking you to weigh in on her as a person, I’m just talking but the comments. Let’s move on. Would an individual’s past statements — statements in the past as an adult declaring one racial group is superior to another, with statements like that be relevant to an evaluation of whether such a person should be put in charge of running the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights division?’
Garland indicated that he had read the charges about President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Kristen Clarke:
‘So, Senator, I have read in the last few days these allegations about Kristen Clarke, who I have also gotten to know, who I also trust, who is a person of integrity, whose views about Civil Rights Division. I have discussed with her and they are in line with my own. I have every reason to want her. She is an experienced former blind prosecutor of hate crimes and we need some of you to be running –‘
Then, Lee interrupted the judge:
‘[I was] asking about the statement, not her as a person. I’m asking about the statement.’
Of course, the Republican senator did not cite the “statement” he was referencing. Perhaps, he was talking about what Fox News’ Tucker Carlson talked about, a 1994 article in The Harvard Crimson. Clarke and others wrote:
‘[A] response to those who defend The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray.’
Clarke claimed that intelligence could be linked to class and race disputes the idea that intelligence can be linked to class and race. This was a claim that The Bell Curve made, a Newsweek fact-check showed.
Lee asked about Clarke:
‘What — in the abstract, someone who has made that comment, with that comment be relevant to whether that person, having made that statement, should be put in charge of running the civil rights division?’
Garland began:
‘All I can tell you is I have had many conversations with her about her views about the Civil Rights Division and what kind of matters would — .’
Senator Lee interrupted:
‘What about anti-Semitic quotes?’
Garland responded:
‘You know my views on anti-Semitism. No one needs to question those.’
Lee came back:
‘I’m not questioning–‘
Garland interrupted Lee this time:
“I know you’re not, but I also want you to know I’m also a pretty good judge of what an anti-Semite is. I do not believe she is discriminatory in any sense.’
