Department of Justice nominee Vanita Gupta apologized for "the harsh rhetoric" of previous tweets, including one in which she called the Republican Party National Convention "three nights of racism," during her confirmation hearing Tuesday.
"I regret the harsh rhetoric that I have used at times in the last several years,” said Gupta, a longtime civil rights lawyer who was nominated by President Joe Biden for the No. 3 position at the Justice Department.
"I think the rhetoric has gotten quite harsh over the last several years, and I have fallen prey to it. I wish I could take it back. I can’t," she told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I can pledge to you today that if I am confirmed, you won’t be hearing that kind of rhetoric from me."
Gupta asked the senators to look at her lifelong record as a believer "in the importance of building consensus," and as a "deeply pragmatic person and relationship builder."
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, raised the issue of her tweets, though added Gupta has performed "admirable" work in the past.
"Her Twitter feed has painted Republicans with a broad brush, describing our national convention last year as three nights of quote-unquote 'racism, xenophobia, and outrageous lies,'" Grassley said during his opening remarks.
"How many of our colleagues in this room were there? Of course, Ms. Gupta has in fact launched Twitter attacks on some of them directly. Will that kind of partisan political advocacy affect her legal advocacy in her role where she represents all Americans?"
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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