Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz went full nuclear on a Democratic senator who believed him to be a dirty, filthy, rotten bigot for allegedly assuming that a nominee was antisemtic or a supporter of terrorism because he’s a Muslim. After all, it’s not like there have been a ton of adherents of the Islamic religion who have made comments calling for the complete and utter destruction of Israel and the murder of all Jews by horrific acts of violence, right?
Check out further details on the explosive exchange via The Daily Caller:
During a Thursday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin cited the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which accused Cruz of “prejudicial treatment” and “bigotry” toward Adeel Mangi, who President Joe Biden nominated to serve as a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in New Jersey.
Mangi previously appeared before the Judiciary Committee on Dec. 13. At that hearing, Cruz cited Mangi’s stint as an advisory board member for Rutgers Law School’s Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), which issued a letter during the 2021 Israel-Hamas conflict condemning the “colonial conditions of structural violence and inequality that Palestinians live under.” Mangi did not say whether he agreed with that statement, though he did condemn calls for genocide and described the Oct. 7 attack on Israel as a “horror.”
Crazy liberal Palestine supporters and Muslims are applauded for opposing the so-called “evil” colonial forces of the nation of Israel, despite egregious calls made by these same individuals for genocide against the Jews, but if someone dares to say Muslims of a radical interpretation of Islam are bloodthirsty bigots, well, that’s not to be tolerated. This, of course, is a double standard.
Cruz also asked Mangi whether he approved of an event that the CSSR held on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 featuring Sami Al-Arian, an activist who pleaded guilty in 2006 to conspiring to fund the terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Mangi said he had not heard about the event, as the advisory board met only once per year, and that he condemned the 9/11 attacks.
“You have just impugned my character by making a false accusation, and I will say it is disgraceful!” Cruz said to Durbin on Thursday. “Did you respond to any of the substance of what I said? No! You just attacked me and called me a bigot, and you responded by stating deliberate falsehoods. You said he would be the first Muslim.”
“Well, you know what? I understand —” he pressed forward, clearly upset, as Durbin tried to interject. “Excuse me, I have a right to defend myself when you impugn my character in a way that is a new low for this committee.”
Cruz explained that he’s not opposed to Mangi being confirmed due to his being of the Islamic faith, but because of his record, which he called “extreme.” Cruz, a constitutional scholar, cited information from the Coalition of Jewish Values, an organization that has urged the legislature to oppose Mangi’s confirmation, along with data from a group known as StopAntisemitism, which has concerns over ties he has with CSSR.
“The left-wing Jewish organizations lining up to back Mr. Mangi’s nomination do not represent the consensus of American Jewry, much less its rabbinic leadership,” the Coalition of Jewish Values wrote in a statement. “Mr. Mangi’s alliance with the Center raises genuine concerns about his judgment and his commitment to American principles. Those concerns have nothing to do with his religious background or faith.”
Durbin stated that Mangi does not have connections with the CSSR, despite the man’s own admission of serving on the group’s advisory board. How in the world can he have no ties to the group when he admitted himself he served on the advisory board? Is Durbin off his meds again?
“Did you just say he had no connection with this organization? Is that seriously what you said in this hearing?” Cruz went on to ask. “He was on the board of advisors, he was a donor and raised money for it, but you said he has no connection with them?”
“See? You twist this situation,” Durbin replied rather weakly.
“Mr. Chairman, you just said he has no connection with this organization,” Cruz retored. “Is that your view and the view of Senate Democrats? Is that your view that he had no connection with this organization? Okay, you’re refusing to answer because it’s obviously indefensible and false.”
Cruz made an absolute fool out of Durbin and he deserved every bit of it.
"*" indicates required fields
