Republicans angrily claim that the White House “deliberately” engaged in a “cover-up” by failing to turn over materials to the Judiciary Committee on a child pornography case in which Supreme Court nominee Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson significantly deviated from the parole board’s recommendation deviated
“This case, which Judge Jackson removed from her list of child abuse cases, not only undermines her argument that she followed recommended parole board sentences, but also underscores the dangers of moving too quickly in the review process,” according to a Republican Judiciary Committee- Assistant told Fox News.
“Committee Republicans just received the sentencing record for this case on Friday, following the conclusion of the hearing,” the GOP assistant said. “Apparently the White House either did not thoroughly screen the candidate or was aware of the records and intentionally omitted them in the hope that the candidate would be confirmed before the full record could be uncovered and reviewed.”
In response to the report, Republican Justice Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted, “All pertinent information should be provided to the Senate prior to voting on this nomination.”
“When we first highlighted their record of child pornography cases, the White House shared information with their media friends and Democrats on the Judiciary Committee,” Missouri GOP Senator Josh Hawley told Fox. “They hid it from the public knowing that Judge Jackson lent a hand to criminals. The White House still refuses to be transparent about Judge Jackson’s file.
Graham and Hawley are two Republican members who have been the harshest on Jackson, particularly regarding her conviction history of child porn offenders.
In late February, President Joe Biden announced that he would nominate Justice Jackson to replace Liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, who is retiring at the end of that term in the summer.
Democrats hope to have a vote on Jackson’s nomination by April 8, when the Senate begins its spring break.
Republicans allege that the White House “deliberately omitted” from a package of materials a case in which Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson deviated from parole board recommendations in sentencing a child pornography count
Republican senators including Ted Cruz (pictured), Lindsey Graham and Josh Hawley attacked Jackson for what they saw as an inadequate conviction record in child pornography cases
In response to the report, Republican Justice Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted, “All pertinent information should be provided to the Senate prior to voting on this nomination.”
During last week’s polls, Republicans tore at the judge’s conviction record in child pornography cases — taking it as a main line of attack against President Biden’s Liberal nominee.
A concrete case, US v. Cane, covered “over 6,500 files depicting elementary, middle and high school-aged children engaged in sexual activity or posing sexually.”
The case in question, US v. Cane, involved “over 6,500 files depicting children engaged in … sexual activity.” While the parole board recommended an 84-month sentence for social studies teacher Lucas Cane, Jackson sentenced the defendant to 60 months in prison, which is the mandatory minimum
While the parole board recommended an 84-month sentence, Jackson sentenced the defendant to 60 months in prison, which is the mandatory minimum.
The case was not referred to the Judiciary Committee ahead of last week’s four-day hearings, and some Republicans are questioning whether the administration “purposely omitted” it.
The conviction came less than a year ago, just as Jackson was about to be brought before DC Circuit Court as a Biden nominee.
For two days last week, Jackson was grilled in the upper chamber by the 22 members of the Judiciary Panel.
All members and the nominee made opening remarks last Monday, followed by Tuesday’s questioning, during which each senator had 30 minutes to interact with Jackson — and on Wednesday each member was given an additional 20 minutes.
Experts testified on Friday whether or not Jackson should be confirmed.
With her appearance last Monday, Jackson made history by becoming the first black woman to appear before the committee as a nominee for the United States Supreme Court.
Supporters gather outside the Supreme Court to voice their support for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation
“The transcripts — the only public material dealing with the conviction in this case — confirm that the parole board recommended a longer sentence than the minimum sentence imposed by Judge Jackson,” a Republican Judiciary Committee staffer told Fox.
“They also reveal the government’s arguments for an increase in punishment, indicating an interest in a sentence longer than Judge Jackson’s term in office.”
“The White House points to a sealed document to support their unverified claim about a case that was mysteriously excluded from information they provided to Democrats but not to Republicans ahead of Judge Jackson’s hearing . It is clear from the sentencing record that the parole board, which Judge Jackson repeatedly referred to to justify her sentences, wanted a longer sentence in this case,” the GOP assistant continued.
“Furthermore, Judge Jackson even pointed to a case where, despite the prosecutor’s higher recommendation, she imposed the shortest possible sentence to justify her sentence in this case.”
According to Fox, the White House insisted that the Cane case was erroneously removed from the list presented to the panel. The package presented to the Senate committee compared Jackson’s conviction record to the probation service’s recommendations on 14 child molestation counts.
“This case, in which Judge Jackson sentenced the defendant to the government-recommended sentence, proves even more that Judge Jackson’s sentences were either consistent with or exceeded the vast majority of her decisions involving child abuse crimes what the government or the U.S. Parole Board has recommended,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement to Fox.
“The Cane case further undermines the slurs made by a small number of Republican senators — and which moderate members of both parties have rejected,” Bates continued.
Brown made history by being the first black woman ever to be nominated to the United States Supreme Court. Pictured: Biden nominates Jackson for the post on February 25, 2022
“Fact checkers at several mainstream outlets have highlighted that the specific senators who carried out these attacks voted for Trump-nominated judges who convicted defendants of the same crimes in the same way, both in terms of passing sentences under Policies generally considered obsolete in the judiciary and below the timelines required by prosecutors.’
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, along with other Republican senators, questioned Jackson last week about their sentencing standards for child pornography versus government recommendations in specific cases.
“This is a cover-up by the Biden White House and Senate Democrats,” Article III project founder Mike Davis told Fox.
‘They’re covering up their files. They intentionally left out this case from less than a year ago because it didn’t fit their political narrative.’