LGBT advocacy groups are urging lawmakers to block Eric Dreiband, President Donald Trump's nominee to head the Justice Department's civil rights division, The Hill reported.
Lambda Legal, and 46 other groups, including the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund and People for the American Way, argue Dreiband, an attorney, is not suited for the post. The groups' comments came in a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
"The message being sent, first by the 2018 budget proposal and now by the nomination of Mr. Dreiband, could not be more clear: under President Trump and Attorney General Sessions, the Civil Rights Division will no longer be in the business of defending civil rights," the letter said.
"Experienced and principled leadership is needed to ensure that the civil rights of our most vulnerable populations are protected and enforced," the letter said. "Mr. Dreiband's record of opposing civil rights renders him ill-suited to provide that kind of leadership to the Civil Rights Division."
The groups also said in the letter that the LGBT community is not the only group that has suffered as "a result of the Department of Justice's abdication of its role as a defender of civil rights."
"This administration's blatant hostility toward the Muslim community, for example, has been just as vicious and unapologetic," it said.
"While our concerns about his approach to issues of direct concern to LGBT Americans are significant, they are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this nominee. As is manifest from his record, Mr. Dreiband has an extensive track record of working to undermine civil rights in other spheres as well."
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