Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin Destroys Josh Hawley

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) said that Sen. Josh Hawley’s attacks on Judge Jackson have no credibility because he was fist-bumping with 1/6 attackers.

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GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC “THIS WEEK” ANCHOR: Finally, you’re also chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmation hearings are set to begin. In the face of these hearings, we are now seeing escalating attacks from Senate Republicans like Josh Hawley who set out a Twitter — series of tweets suggesting that Judge Jackson somehow is soft on child porn. It’s been debunked by several independent fact-checkers.

But what does that tell you about the confirmation fight ahead?

DURBIN: Well, I’m not sure what it signals. But as far as Senator Hawley is concerned, here’s the bottom line — he’s wrong. He’s inaccurate and unfair in his analysis.

Judge Jackson has been scrutinized more than any person I can think of. This is her fourth time before the Senate Judiciary Committee. In three previous times, she came through with flying colors and bipartisan support, the last time as soon as just last year.

And now, Senator Hawley is making these charges that came out of nowhere. The independent fact checkers like “The Washington Post” and CNN have discredited his claims already. They should have. There’s no truth to what he says.

And he’s part of the fringe within the Republican Party. This was a man who was fist-bumping the murderous mob that descended on the Capitol on January 6th of the last year. He doesn’t have the credibility he thinks he does.

I wrote on Saturday that Democrats should respond to Hawley’s smears against Judge Jackson by reminding the American people that Josh Hawley supported Trump’s coup and the Capitol attack, which is exactly what Sen. Durbin did.

Josh Hawley’s claims have already been destroyed by fact checkers, and if he insists on repeating them at Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearing, the American people should be reminded that Sen. Hawley has less than zero credibility.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association