The White House on Thursday attacked Senator Josh Hawley after he said he found a “disturbing pattern” in Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s treatment of sex offenders.
Hawley was hounded by press secretary Jen Psaki for his questioning of presidential nominee Joe Biden to the Supreme Court, accusing him of taking Jackson’s tapes out of context.
And she shot a Republican senator from Missouri.
“I’m not sure that someone who refused to tell people whether he would vote for Roy Moore or not is an effective and credible messenger on this issue,” Psaki said at a press briefing on Thursday.
Hawley, as a candidate for the Senate, initially feared whether he would support Moore, who was accused of sexually harassing teenage girls. Hawley later said that Moore should withdraw from the race.
Senator Josh Hawley posted a lengthy Twitter thread questioning Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s treatment of sex offenders.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki prosecuted Senator Josh Hawley for questioning Presidential nominee Joe Biden to the Supreme Court.
The senator, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted a lengthy thread on Wednesday questioning Jackson’s decisions in the child sexual abuse cases.
“I’ve noticed a disturbing pattern in Judge Jackson’s attitude towards sex offenders, especially those who prey on children,” he tweeted.
“Judge Jackson has a habit of unhooking child porn offenders for their heinous crimes, both as a judge and as a politician. She’s been advocating this since law school. This goes beyond “soft on crime”. I am concerned that this record is endangering our children.”
Hawley told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday that he did not speak to Jackson about the matter when he met with her on March 9, saying he had not yet finished reviewing her legal records at that point, but said he would ask her about it. during her confirmation hearing next week.
“I’d love to hear from her next week – what she thinks,” he said, adding that “I’m sure she’ll be ready to talk about it.”
However, Psaki claimed that Hawley took Jackson’s words out of context.
“In the vast majority of cases involving child sex crimes, the sentences handed down by Judge Jackson met or exceeded government or U.S. probation recommendations,” she said.
“He took a piece of the transcript out of context, when in fact Judge Jackson repeated what the witness said to ask her a question,” she added. “Attempts to vilify or discredit her work are not supported by the facts.”
And earlier, the White House slammed Hawley’s criticism as a “cherry pick.”
“This is toxic and under-represented misinformation based on taking selected elements of her entry out of context – and it doesn’t hold up to even the most intense scrutiny,” spokesman Andrew Bates said.
in 18-tweet tweetHawley claimed that Jackson was lenient in sentencing people accused of possessing child pornography and that she questioned whether people accused of sex crimes should be required as sex offenders.
“This is a disturbing report for any judge, but especially for someone appointed to the country’s highest court,” he wrote. “Protecting the most vulnerable should not be a matter of discussion. Sending kidnappers to prison should not be controversial.”
Jackson’s confirmation hearing will begin on Monday, when she introduces herself to the committee and the senators make opening statements. The senators will start questioning her on Tuesday.
“I would like to hear from her why she passed such a sentence,” Hawley told reporters on Thursday. And what is her philosophy when it comes to sex offenders and crime in general. But you know, let’s start with sex offenders.
He also said he didn’t intend to turn her hearing into a hearing that resembles Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s controversial candidate who has been accused of sexual harassment. His hearings were contentious and sparked a storm of protest.
Republicans said Jackson would get a fair hearing.
Hawley said the same thing, saying he was going to question the judge about her record.
“That’s her record,” he said. “So that’s what we’re here for. We’re here to ask the judge candidate questions about her court cases, and that’s what I’m going to do. Look, I really like her. I was impressed with her. I think she is a good person. However, I want to ask for a better record. And she, she can speak for herself.