Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Tuesday accused Senate Democrats of despising Clarence Thomas because he’s a “conservative African American.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the Supreme Court’s ethics after left-wing activists and Democrats have accused the court of being politicized on the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization draft leak. Cruz went down the list of allegedly “bigoted” moments the political left attacked Thomas since his confirmation in 1991.
Cruz addressed Thomas’ confirmation hearing, to which he accused then-Judiciary Committee chairman Joe Biden and the Senate Democrats of participating in a “high tech lynching.”
“It is sad to see 30 years later this committee, again, engaged in the same despicable tactics,” Cruz said. “Senate Democrats and their lapdogs in the media are engaged in a twofold political campaign. Number one, to delegitimize the Supreme Court of the United States because they’re angry that there are a majority of constitutionalists on the court. But number two, very directly, this is a political campaign designed to smear Justice Clarence Thomas. And the reason is simple, the left despises Clarence Thomas.”
“And they do not despise him because he’s a conservative,” the senator continued. “The left despises Clarence Thomas because he is a conservative African American.”
Cruz pointed to an April 10 article published by The New Republic which was headlined, “The Democrats Need To Destroy Clarence Thomas’ Reputation,” and a magazine cover caricature of Thomas shining former Justice Antony Scalia’s shoes. Another caricature labeled Thomas as “Uncle Thomas: Lawn Jockey for The Far Right,” which Cruz referred to as “racist vitriol.” (RELATED: Ted Cruz Says Merrick Garland Has ‘Contempt For The American People’)
“This is the bigoted contempt the left has,” Cruz continued. “This is how the left views Clarence Thomas. And it’s important for people at home to understand, this is not about judicial ethics. This is not about rules that apply to judges across the board, we can have a reasonable discussion about that. This is about applying a double standard to Clarence Thomas and only Clarence Thomas.”
The senator said the left has targeted Thomas for allegedly failing to disclose that he accepted luxury vacations and private jet travel from a Texas real estate magnate. Cruz said Justices Stephen Breyer luxuriously traveled more often than Thomas and yet, Democrats do not say a word.
“I’m not suggesting Justice Breyer is corrupt, what I am suggesting is that this committee is corrupt because this is a kangaroo circus,” he said.
He further accused Senate Democrats of wanting to threaten the lives of the justices by writing a letter threatening to cut off funding for extra security nearly a year after the assassination attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh.