Sheldon Whitehouse Slams Labeling Of Judges As ‘USA-Hating Monsters Who Want Our Country To Go To Hell’

Forbes Breaking News

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) slammed language surrounding judges.

Transcript

00:01It strikes me that what we have here is a team that has taken the field and engaged

00:10in unprecedented numbers of fouls and unprecedentedly flagrant fouls.

00:20And when the refs blow the whistle on the unprecedented number of fouls, the partisans

00:27of the team committing the fouls, call out the referees for the unprecedented number

00:32of whistles that they blow.

00:35To try to level set this, let me ask if you can do a yes or no answer.

00:40Let's try to go right down the panel, yes or no.

00:42Is it appropriate to call judges USA-hating monsters who want our country to go to hell?

00:47No.

00:48No?

00:49No, Senator.

00:53In general, no, Senator.

00:55And is it appropriate to call judges lunatics who do not care even a little bit and could

00:59very well lead to the destruction of our country?

01:01I don't think so.

01:04No.

01:06No.

01:07And is it appropriate to post pictures of judges' children with the intent to incite harassment

01:13and threats?

01:14No.

01:15No.

01:16No.

01:17No.

01:18Okay, good.

01:19We're off to a level set.

01:20I'll take that.

01:21Professor Alessia, when you were installed in your chair, the announcement was that the

01:28chair was made possible through the generosity of Leonard Leo, trustee of both the Marble

01:33Freedom Trust and Catholic University.

01:35Is that accurate?

01:36Is that who funded your chair?

01:38My understanding is that Leonard Leo, through the Marble Freedom Trust, directed funds that

01:45funded the chair.

01:46I think that's accurate.

01:47And with respect to your chair, Mr. Blackman, a million dollars was given to fund it through

01:53an anonymizing organization called Donors Trust, which has been called the ATM of the

01:58far right.

01:59Do you know who was behind that Donors Trust laundered donation?

02:02I appreciate the question, Senator.

02:03I would direct all these to my college to answer.

02:05I'm sorry.

02:06First of all, your mic's not on.

02:08No, I appreciate the question, Senator.

02:10I direct all these questions about this to my college.

02:13My question is actually to you, and it's whether you know.

02:17Do you know who was behind that donation?

02:18I appreciate the question.

02:20Anonymous gifts are as they are, and I appreciate all those questions directed to my college.

02:25Your college can't answer what you know.

02:27This is a question to you about what you know.

02:29This is a Josh Blackman question.

02:31Thank you, Senator.

02:32Do you know who funded your chair?

02:34I've answered the question.

02:35Yes or no?

02:36Thank you, Senator.

02:38You can't say this.

02:39Do you realize that if you were an expert witness in a judicial proceeding, I'd be entitled

02:45to know who was funding you because it goes to bias and conflict, correct?

02:50That's basic sort of hornbook trial practice, right?

02:54Fair enough, Senator.

02:55I'm right about that.

02:56You'll agree.

02:57I'm not prepared to testify about it.

02:58I'm prepared to testify about it.

02:59I'm prepared to testify about it.

03:00I'm prepared to testify about it.

03:01That's my answer for today.

03:04Okay.

03:05Well, at least we know who funded Professor Alessia, and you won't even answer what you

03:11know.

03:12Let me turn to Professor Shaw.

03:20Let's just say that this activity today is designed to whip up more animus against courts,

03:29and that it adds to the atmosphere of threats that the court is now experiencing.

03:34I think we're up to, is it 162 threats to judges, which is pretty impressive.

03:42And a lot of this has the appearance, at least to me, of looking like it was orchestrated,

03:48looking like it was instigated, looking like there are folks behind it.

03:53So, presumably, the Marshal Service should be investigating, not just protecting the judges

04:00and their family members, but also investigating the sources of the threats.

04:05Can you tell us what some warning signs would be that the Marshal Service has been directed

04:12perhaps by the Attorney General or perhaps by some other senior official in the Department

04:16of Justice to not do proper investigations, and particularly not look into orchestration

04:23or any effort to gin up these threats?

04:30Senator, I have no information.

04:32It strikes me that a non-response to your queries or queries from other members of Congress

04:37to the Marshal Service or to the Department of Justice are concerning.

04:40There should be an active dialogue between the branches about something as serious as the security of the third branch.

04:45And I guess I would just echo what Senator Booker was saying earlier.

04:48I mean, there have been two relatively recent periods when bipartisan legislation was passed

04:53to improve judicial security after the tragic murder of Judge Solace's son

04:57and also after the attempted attack on Justice Kavanaugh.

05:00Judicial security measures on a bipartisan basis quickly passed Congress,

05:03and I would hope that this is a moment in which broad agreement could be reached

05:07that it's necessary to do something similar.

05:10And if it appeared that those were part of a larger plan or conspiracy,

05:12it would be appropriate for law enforcement to look into the question

05:16of whether there was a larger plan or conspiracy, correct?

05:18Absolutely.

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