Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has been on a campaign to criticize President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court justice pick – Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson – that led him into a spat Monday with ABC journalist Rachel Scott.
In particular, Hawley, who took office in 2019, has been critical of Jackson’s work with the bipartisan U.S. Sentencing Commission and its recommendation to lower the minimum in two types of child phonography offenses. Scott Monday asked why Hawley approved three lower court justices who had allegedly given below federal guidelines sentences for similar offenses.
In response, Hawley shot back at Scott, saying, “in this instance, I know that’s the White House talking point, but I think it’s a dangerous one. You’ve got to be careful with that. It’s the whole, well, everybody else is jumping off a cliff, so I will too.”
He also said he didn’t know what lower court judges she was referring to and asked her for more information.
According to ABC News, the three judges include federal appeals court Judges Joseph Bianco of the Second Circuit and Andrew Brasher of the Eleventh Circuit, both Trump appointees, as well as Carl Nichols of the D.C. District Court. While Scott was able to provide the names, she did not have the specific cases on hand when questioning Hawley during a pause in Jackson’s hearings.
“Shouldn't you be familiar with their record as well?” she asked.
“I expect you to know the facts, since you're asking me about them,” he said. “So, how many cases a day do you have? Judge Jackson has seven. You don't know. You’re just here to do a gotcha. When you know and get the facts, come back. I'd be happy to talk to you about it. Good luck.”
After the incident, Hawley’s press secretary Abigail Marone said Scott “peddled [White House] talking points,” in a tweet.
In a Twitter thread from last week, Hawley criticized Jackson’s USSC record and quotes, according to a fact-check article in The Washington Post.
“The picture that Hawley provides is a selective one that lacks significant context,” about a bipartisan effort to clarify minimum sentences, said the outlet.
ABC News also called Hawley’s allegations regarding Jackson “misleading” this week.
Marone Tuesday tweeted an article from the conservative outlet The Federalist claiming to fact check the fact checks.
Previously, Hawley has called for Biden to resign over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan last year.
Related
Related
