DNC chair melts down over Tom Cotton's opposition to Ketanji Brown Jackson: 'Little, maggot-infested man'



Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison had a meltdown on MSNBC Wednesday morning, calling Republican Sen. Tom Cotton a "little, maggot-infested man" because of the senator's comments in a speech opposing Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.

In remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Cotton pointed to Jackson's record of lenient sentences in child porn cases as well as her time as a defense attorney. The Arkansas lawmaker suggested that Jackson "might have" defended Nazis during the Nuremberg trials.

“The last Judge Jackson left the Supreme Court to go to Nuremberg and prosecute the case against the Nazis,” Cotton said, referring to former Justice Robert H. Jackson, who was appointed chief counsel in the prosecution of Nazi war criminals.

"This Judge Jackson might have gone there to defend them,” he added.

Cotton also claimed that as an associate justice on the Supreme Court, Jackson would "coddle criminals and terrorists, and she will twist or ignore the law to reach the result she wants."

Judge Jackson will coddle criminals and terrorists, and she will twist or ignore the law to reach the result that she wants. That\u2019s not what we need in a Supreme Court justice, and that\u2019s why I will be voting against her confirmation.pic.twitter.com/MxW4RWXx3E
— Tom Cotton (@Tom Cotton) 1649187303

Cotton's comments were widely condemned by Democrats and the Anti-Defamation League, which said his remarks were "reprehensible."

Absolutely shameful conduct from @SenTomCotton. To use a Nazi analogy as some sort of twisted way to attack Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is reprehensible. We've said it a thousand times and we'll say it again: stop trivializing the Holocaust for political gain.https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1511442180497416197\u00a0\u2026
— ADL (@ADL) 1649199683

The Wednesday panel on "Morning Joe" discussed Cotton's speech, with host Joe Scarborough slamming the senator for implying that as a former defense attorney, Jackson has a soft spot for criminals.

“She was doing what the Constitution of the United States guarantees every American, that lawyers will do, and that lawyers have done since the beginning of this republic,” Scarborough said. “He knows better. That’s what makes it so absolutely, positively shameful.”

Harrison, a guest on the panel, said that "in a Senate where there is Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tom Cotton is the lowest of the low." He brought up how in 2014, Cotton blocked President Barack Obama's nominee to be ambassador to the Bahamas, Cassandra Butts, allegedly because Cotton knew Obama and Butts were friends.

The DNC chairman repeated a claim that Cotton had told Butts he was blocking her nomination because he wanted to "inflict special pain on the president." Cotton's office disputes that he said any such thing. After waiting more than 800 days, Butts died of leukemia before the Senate considered her nomination.

Harrison said that story "shows you who this little maggot-infested man is," then launched into a tirade against Cotton and the Republican Party.

"He does not deserve to have that pen. He doesn’t deserve to be in the United States Senate representing the good people of Arkansas," he said.

"He put his hand on the Bible, took an oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and he uses it as a play toy. That is the Republican Party we see today. It is a party built on fraud, fear, and fascism. They don’t deserve to be in power. Not because Democrats should, but because they don’t deserve to be in power of this great nation."

Watch:

Glenn Beck delivers disturbing updates from Middle East, says State Department needs to 'stop standing in the way' of rescues



Conservative broadcaster and commentator Glenn Beck delivered a disturbing update from the Middle East on Thursday afternoon, revealing reports that the State Department told Macedonia to stop taking in Afghan refugees amid the unfolding horror in and around Kabul.

NBC News reported earlier this week that North Macedonia, Albania, and Kosovo all offered to assist Afghan refugees.

What are the details?

On Thursday afternoon, Beck tweeted a discussion he had with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who serves on the Judiciary Committee as the ranking member for the Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism subcommittee, the Intelligence Committee, and the Armed Services Committee as the ranking Member of the Air Land Power subcommittee.

Beck captioned video of the discussion, "I've heard reports that OUR State Department told Macedonia to stop taking Afghan refugees. @SenTomCotton tells me he's heard similar reports. If our govt won't save these people, WE WILL. But the State Dept. must stop standing in the way."

"Can you give me an update on the State Department?" Beck asked Cotton during the exchange. "We last night had an ambassador call, and I think it's Macedonia, they closed off — we were looking for places where we could fly people in just to hold them, and Macedonia was one of them. ... The Ambassador of Macedonia was called by the State Department and told not to take any of these people. What the hell?"

Cotton responded and said that Afghans aren't the only ones having troubles fleeing the war-torn country: Even British nationals have been unable to get inside the airport to fly at a private expense.

"I've heard heard similar reports," he admitted. "I know that our people inside the ground inside the airport both the Department of Defense intelligence agencies and our State Department officials are trying to move heaven and earth to get people into the airport and out of the country, but the senior leadership of the State Department is a different kettle of fish. I heard a story just this morning that we weren't even allowing British nationals to get inside the airport with their Afghan partners and fly to Great Britain at private expense. ... This wouldn't even have an impact on the American government or taxpayer. And it's not a country that people have never heard of — it's Great Britain."

The Arkansas lawmaker added, "I'm very disturbed by these reports, and I'm trying to get answers on all of them. At a minimum, we should be allowing countries that are willing to accept Afghans are willing to send charters ... into Kabul to do that to clean up some of President [Joe] Biden's mess."

Beck fired back, "Yes, yes, you don't want to do it, fine — we'll do it. We'll do it. But [the State Department] won't even — they are obstructing us every step of the way. And I don't know if it's out of spite, ignorance, I have no idea, I don't care, but it should stop now."

Beck is expected to appear on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on Thursday evening, where he will likely provide more details about the disturbing reports.

I've heard reports that OUR State Department told Macedonia to stop taking Afghan refugees. @SenTomCotton tells me… https://t.co/0Qtufz27Vs

— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) 1629999001.0

Republican senators promise to block Susan Rice from any cabinet position: 'Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander'



Multiple Republican senators promised Tuesday that Joe Biden's potential cabinet nominees will face harsh scrutiny from Republicans in the Senate, promising to repay Democrats for what they viewed as harsh treatment given to President Trump's cabinet nominees four years ago. Specifically, they also indicated that any attempt to nominate the controversial Susan Rice for any cabinet position would be rejected by Republicans.

Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) appeared on "The Hugh Hewitt Show" Tuesday and discussed with Hewitt how a Republican Senate might treat cabinet nominees in a potential Biden administration. Specifically, both senators were asked about reports indicating that former president Barack Obama is pushing Biden to nominate former National Security Adviser Susan Rice to be secretary of state.

Both Blackburn and Cotton indicated that Republicans in the Senate would likely refuse to confirm Rice to that position, or to "any position" requiring Senate approval.

Also from @SenTomCotton: “There will not be two sets of rules” for nominees. The rules that governed… https://t.co/yhhULf4fWL
— Hugh Hewitt (@Hugh Hewitt)1605621592.0

Rice has been the subject of intense controversy for years due to a number of issues, most prominently including her role in spreading the Obama administration's false claim that the attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the deaths of four Americans was the result of a spontaneous uprising caused by local reaction to a YouTube video produced by an American.

November 17, 2020: Senator Cotton Joins Hugh Hewitt www.youtube.com

This theory of the attacks was later discredited, and the Obama administration later claimed that errors made by Rice during television interviews on the subject were the fault of the CIA, which they claimed provided Rice with bad information.

When reports surfaced that Biden was considering Rice for the position, Biden transition team members reportedly dismissed concerns that Rice would face an uphill battle in a Republican-controlled Senate, apparently in the belief that Republicans may have forgotten about the Benghazi debacle.

Cotton's and Blackburn's comments may indicate that Biden has gravely misread the Senate chamber he is likely to inherit. More ominous for Biden than the specific remarks made about Rice are the remarks made by Cotton that the Republican Senate will treat Biden's nominees by the same "rules" Trump nominees faced.

Although some of Trump's initial cabinet nominees (like Secretary of Defense James Mattis) received relatively easy confirmation hearings, the vast majority of Trump's nominees faced almost unanimous opposition from Democrats. Overall, at least 17 of Trump's non-judicial nominees who required Senate approval got over 40 "no" votes. Six of those nominees were confirmed without a single "yes" vote from Democrats.

If Republicans are able to maintain their control of the Senate by winning at least one of the two runoff races in Georgia, that may indicate that Biden could have a difficult time getting the cabinet he wants confirmed.