Republican Racism On Full Display In the U.S. Senate
The nomination of Adeel Mangi to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit brought out a common theme among Republicans
In a speech on the Senate floor, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called out Republican bigotry after they subjected Adeel Mungi to hostile questioning accusing him of being antisemitic, anti-cop, and even asked if he celebrated the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Mangi, who is a Muslim, graduated from Oxford and Harvard Law School and has spent more than 20 years in private practice at a top law firm.
“As Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, one of my highest priorities has been the confirmation of judges to fill vacancies on the federal bench. Since the beginning of the Biden Administration, the Senate has confirmed 191 highly qualified independent and even-handed jurists to the federal bench,” said Durbin. “They represent the best of our legal system—demographically and professionally diverse judges who respect the rule of law, adhere to precedent, and above all, answer only to the Constitution. We should add another nominee to that list—Adeel Mangi, who has been nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.”
Sen. Durbin didn’t pull any punches in calling out Republicans. In his nearly eight-minute speech, he not only highlighted how Republicans attacked Mangi but also called out their attacks for what they were: blatant racism. He then focused on the false accusations of antisemitism being rooted in Islamophobia, a topic I’ve covered before.
“Any insinuation that Mr. Mangi is antisemitic, or a terrorist sympathizer, is rooted in anti-Muslim bigotry and has no place in our country or in Congress. And the claims are simply false,” Durbin continued. “What has been un-American is the treatment Mr. Mangi [has] faced since his hearing. Republicans are trying to blame Mr. Mangi for statements by other people and events he didn’t even attend and wasn’t even aware of. That is guilt by association. It is wrong. It is unfair.”
Senate Republicans went even further in accusing Mangi of defending “cop killers” because of his association with the Alliance of Families for Justice. Mungi never represented anyone who has been accused of killing a police officer nor has he said or written anything to suggest such a thing. But that didn’t stop Republicans from making false accusations against him–a common theme in the modern-day Republican Party dominated by Donald Trump’s bigotry.
Sen. Durbin again called out their hypocrisy in creating double standards after Republicans voted unanimously to confirm multiple judges during the Trump administration who once represented so-called “cop killers”. Sen. Durbin then highlighted how Republicans ignored the myriad law enforcement groups, labor advocates, and local and state leaders who have endorsed Mangi.
“Based on Mr. Mangi’s actual record, more than 125 civil rights and human rights organizations support him,” said Durbin. “Organizations representing more than one million Jewish Americans, including the National Council of Jewish Women and the Anti-Defamation League. In addition, Mr. Mangi has received the support of a number of law enforcement organizations, including the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and a bipartisan group of former New Jersey state attorneys general and U.S. Attorneys.”
Adeel Mangi was nominated by President Joe Biden on November 15, 2023, and had his nomination hearing in Committee on December 13, 2023. He was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 18, for a full Senate vote which is still pending.
Watch Sen. Durbin’s full speech below.
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